Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 611: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will list, on a county basis, the amount per school that has been spent on prefabs over the past five years. [17721/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available and would take an inordinate amount of time to compile. However, I can confirm that the amount spent on renting temporary accommodation including – but not limited to - prefabricated accommodation for each of the years 2004 to 2008 is as follows: 2008: €53m 2007 :€35.5m 2006: €24.5m 2005: €15.7m 2004: €11.3m

It should be noted that temporary accommodation is not limited to prefabs and can also involve the rental of high quality buildings.

Following an analysis of costs by my Department, it is now the policy to purchase rather than rent temporary accommodation where the need is likely to last for more than three years. This will reduce the incidence of long- term rental of prefabricated classrooms. Separately, my Department has already commenced a review of this area and has engaged a firm of Chartered Quantity Surveyors to develop new procedures and systems for the provision of temporary accommodation with a view to achieving best value for money. This firm of specialists has already commenced and will work in close co-operation with the Planning and Buildinig Unit of my Department.

The review will involve new contractual terms to incorporate buy-out and relocation options to cater for individual local circumstances. The review will also involve an assessment of all existing rental contracts between schools and suppliers with a view to identifying action to reduce overall rental costs for the Department. The Deputies will appreciate that there is a substantial amount of work involved in this approach. However, I have asked my Department to give this work priority and it is envisaged that it will be completed before the end of this year. In the meantime, where the Department has given approval to a school to rent temporary accommodation, the school authorities must seek competitive quotes from suppliers. This will allow schools to take advantage of the best value available in the current market.