Vol. 553 No. 6
47 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Education and Science the specific proposals he has to meet the commitment given in An Agreed Programme for Government to ensure that every school attains set modern standards; the proposed set standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14732/02]
The process of sustained investment in educational infrastructure begun by the previous Government will be continued as outlined in An Agreed Programme for Government. This will be achieved through a multiannual programme to be called the schools' modernisation fund which will be financed through the National Development Finance Agency and through the maximum use of public private partnership arrangements as appropriate. In order to ensure the long-term planning of capital provision through a precise and detailed identification of accommodation needs in all schools, my Department has already commenced, on a pilot basis, a comprehensive inventory of accommodation – including the production of site and building survey drawings and general building condition reports – of 115 primary and post-primary schools in County Kildare and the compilation of the resulting information on a geographic information system database.
Work commenced in January 2002 and each school in the pilot area will be surveyed by suitably qualified personnel who will assess and report on site conditions, space norms within the schools and the overall condition of each school. Ultimately, all the data accumulated will be stored electronically on the GIS database and will be used to prioritise capital funding for first and second-level projects. The pilot project is expected to be completed by September 2002 and it is intended to use the experience gained in the pilot phase of the project to expand the inventory nation-wide. The proposed standards will be largely based on the planning guidelines for primary and post-primary schools currently used by my Department.
Does the Minister agree that what he has outlined is not substantially different from what his predecessor said about conducting an assessment and inventory of substandard schools? Over 800 schools have already been identified as being substandard and will cost in excess of €500,000 for renovation. The works required are basic and would ensure decent health and safety standards for students. Such works involve toilets, combating dampness and refurbishing inadequate buildings, etc. The Minister's Department has not outlined any timescale for effecting those works. The Minister is now kicking to touch again. There will be a fresh inventory and survey and we do not have a clue when this will happen.
The Deputy must not have been listening. We hope to have received the data from this pilot scheme by September and it will be extended to the rest of the country. That does not mean that all building work is going to cease and wait for the inventory to be completed. Almost €184 million is available for second-level schools capital this year alone and almost €173 million is available for primary schools capital. There is a deficit, there is no question about that. I will not claim that it will be wiped out in my first year in office. A national development finance agency will be put in place and will give us the opportunity to have multiannual programmes which will allow us to plan the programme better than is the case now. The Deputy will be aware of the public private partnership schemes we have in place. The first batch of secondary schools in the first phase of the PPP are well advanced. I intend to introduce a series of measures such as standardising designs, using multischool campuses, devolving responsibility and funding to schools of four classrooms and less for upgrading and additional accommodation, and a more open tendering process. These strategies are being put in place to tackle the real needs that exist. The primary and post-primary schools building programmes are at historically high levels and I hope to maintain that level of expenditure over the next five years.
That is certainly out of line with what we have heard regarding more than 800 schools awaiting major renovation. Perhaps the Minister would care to outline why this backlog has been allowed to increase? I know it was not done in his time, but it was done in his predecessor's time. I would like him to give the House some information about the national development finance agency. This seems to be the goose which will lay the golden egg and solve all the financial problems but it has not had any funding as yet. It seems it will operate through public private partnerships. What level of public private partnership is going to take place in our schools? Are we going to be in hock to the private sector for education delivery in the future.
As long as the schools are delivered I have no ideological hang-ups about whether it is done by the private sector or anyone else. My main concern is to provide a level and standard of accommodation which is fit for pupils and serves the education system.
In 1997, when the previous Government came to office, £44.3 million was allocated to the primary schools building programme, it will be almost €173 million this year. Similarly, £48 million was available for the second-level schools building programme in 1997, but it is €176 million this year. There has been a very significant increase in expenditure. There was a very significant deficit there because of the large jump in the number of students attending school after the introduction of free second level education. The type of schools that were provided were not up to the required standard and we are now paying for it.
