Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 527: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of schools here that have their rent paid for by the State; the rent paid in the last year for which figures are available; the number of cases where the State sought rent reductions; the number of cases where a lower rent obtained; the actual saving made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26277/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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There are currently 918 schools at primary and post-primary level renting temporary accommodation.

I can confirm that the amount spent on renting temporary accommodation for 2008 was €53m. It should be noted that temporary accommodation is not limited to prefabs and can also involve the rental of high quality buildings.

Following analysis of costs in my Department, it is now the practice to purchase rather than rent temporary accommodation where the need for such accommodation is likely to exist for more than 3 years. This should reduce the incidence of long term rental of prefabs.

A review of rental policy is ongoing which will, inter alia, cover an examination of the contract terms to incorporate buy out, buy back, rental costs and relocation options if local circumstances require it. The review will involve an investigation of all existing rental contracts between schools and suppliers with a view to identifying action to reduce overall rental costs for my Department.

In the meantime, schools proposing to rent temporary accommodation must seek competitive quotes from suppliers which should allow them to take advantage of changing market prices.