Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 71: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which information is available to her Department to facilitate adequate preparation and forward planning for the provision of extra schools and classroom accommodation particularly in areas of expanding population growth and well in advance of actual requirement thereby eliminating the use of temporary accommodation and prefabricated structures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34008/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The process of assessing the need for new or additional educational facilities at primary or post-primary level in any given area entails consideration of all relevant factors, including enrolment and demographic trends, housing developments and the capacity of existing schools to meet the demand for places. Liaison with existing schools is also an important part of the process. In this way, every effort is made to ensure that there is adequate existing provision and that timely arrangements are made to extend capacity or provide new infrastructure where necessary.

In addition, Local Authorities are obliged by statute to refer draft local area development plans to the Department for observation and comment so that lands can be zoned for future education use. There are numerous sites reserved for education purposes, particularly in the rapidly developing areas, under this process so as to ensure that there will be sufficient land set aside and available for the future development of education infrastructure.

Over and above the statutory consultation provisions in relation to local authority draft area development plans, my Department has in recent years worked to strengthen contacts with local authorities to enable informed decisions to be made in planning future educational provision. My Department also makes extensive use of data from the Census of Population for a variety of purposes including long-term projections of enrolment at national and local level. The census results for 2006 are of use in identifying broad trends in total population by county and local area. My Department also uses census data when drafting its own area development plans and planning school provision for likely enrolment at local area level.

The Deputy may be aware that the Programme for Government includes a commitment to establish a Developing Areas Unit in my Department. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that this Unit has been established. It is located in Tullamore and forms part of my Department's planning and building division already based in that location. The unit will be solely dedicated to progressing school planning in rapidly developing areas building on improvements that have already been made in school planning in recent years. Staff in the unit will liaise with local authorities, identify where new schools are needed and ensure that they are delivered in the fastest possible timeframe.

To date, 11 members of staff have been redeployed to the unit, comprised of:

1 Principal Officer

1 Assistant Principal Officer

1 Senior Architect

1 Architectural Assistant

3 Higher Executive Officers and

4 Executive Officers

Some of these staff would have been looking after developing areas anyway, and so the consolidation of effort in the new unit will ensure that they are more effectively deployed. The process of filling some of the vacancies arising from the redeployment of staff to the new unit from other areas, is in train.

A further 5 additional (ie non-redeployed) posts — including a professional planner — have been approved for the unit. The necessary recruitment arrangements are now being put in place. The staffing of the unit will be kept under review in light of the evolution of its work programme.

With regard to expenditure on the rental of temporary accommodation, including prefabs, every effort is made to keep this expenditure low. It should be noted that less than 5% of the almost €495 million that was invested in school buildings last year, went on the rental of temporary accommodation. Where accommodation is needed at very short notice, however, a temporary solution can be the only option. Such accommodation may also be used where the need is short-term, such as when a school requires a temporary building while it is awaiting the completion of construction of permanent facilities.