Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 October 2013
87. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a breakdown per site of expenditure by his Department on purchasing school sites over the past five years; the measures his Department has taken to ensure the best value for money in school site purchasing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44018/13]
View answerAs requested by the Deputy I have attached details of school sites purchased over the past five years. I have also included details in relation to funding for site purchases, provided by my Department to the then Vocational Education Committees (now Education and Training Boards).
Price information regarding site acquisitions is commercially sensitive and the release of such information for 2012 and 2013 at this time would prejudice future and ongoing negotiations elsewhere in the State. Accordingly, I am not in a position to provide details for sites acquired in 2013 or to provide a list of payment amounts for sites in 2012.
As the Deputy will be aware land prices can vary depending on numerous factors, such as location, topography, proximity to other facilities and location of services. Even in similar locations, factors such as availability of services, site features and development costs makes it difficult to compare site prices on a straight line basis. Sites that may be superficially similar may have individual features which make one suitable for school development while another is not. I can confirm however that in general the asking price for land on the market has declined in line with overall property market trends, and that my Department officials apply due diligence to secure appropriate sites at competitive prices.
