Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 936: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if contracts have been awarded to various contractors to allow off-site manufacturing for the proposed design and build schools as envisaged under the Fingal Model Agreement; if this has not occurred, when the awarding of such contracts are expected to take place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1279/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has identified a number of rapidly developing areas where additional primary schools will be required to meet demand for school places in September 2008. The Developing Areas Unit of my Department, which was established in the second half of 2007, is charged with the planning and delivery of the required accommodation and this is at an advanced stage.

A tender process has taken place for a drawdown contract facility that will be used to provide additional school places in the rapidly developing areas for 2008 and onwards. This drawdown contract facility is aimed at providing school accommodation in very short timescales using modern methodologies such as off-site construction. Contracts for the provision of the schools will be placed shortly. This method of building procurement, teamed with close co-operation with the relevant local authorities, will help ensure that additional school places are provided in the developing areas within the earliest possible timeframes.

These strategies are underpinned by a budget of €4.5 billion over the lifetime of the National Development Plan. I will make an announcement in the coming days which will identify the specific rapidly developing areas where new school accommodation is planned to be delivered for September 2008.