Carol Nolan
Ceist:40. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to reduce the number of prefabs being used by schools. [16500/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 5 April 2017
Ceisteanna (40)
Freagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)
The programme for Government contains a commitment to eliminating the use of prefabs in our schools. What actions has the Department taken on this to date? How are we going to move towards the elimination of prefabs? Can we have a timeframe and a date for it?
As the Deputy is aware, it is my intention to replace all purchased temporary accommodation with permanent accommodation, where the need is established, over the lifetime of my Department's capital programme, 2016 to 2021. To enable this development, my Department will carry out an assessment of the number of prefabs being used in schools to deliver the curriculum. This will also determine whether individual prefabs need to be replaced in the context of the long-term accommodation needs of each individual school. When completed, this assessment will quantify the number of prefabs to be replaced.
It is intended that this assessment when finalised will enable the replacement of such prefabs to commence in 2019. A funding provision of €180 million is being made available from 2019 for this initiative in the programme.
As the Deputy will be also aware, it can be necessary to make use of temporary rented accommodation in order to meet the accommodation needs of schools, when an immediate or short-term need arises. For example, a school may require a temporary building in circumstances where a major school construction project is planned. Such temporary accommodation is removed when the major project concerned is completed.
I thank the Minister for his response, but I am disappointed at the lack of urgency. Based on responses I received to parliamentary questions, I am aware that an assessment was due to be carried out. I understand this assessment process has not commenced. I ask the Minister to confirm if that is the case. I ask him to give an indicative timeframe for the assessment process because we cannot eliminate them until this process is complete.
It is a serious issue. As the Minister is aware, money is needed in all sectors of our education system. However, €128 million has been wasted on prefabs over the past five years. That figure came from data recently reported in the media following a freedom of information request. The issue needs to be tackled. Approximately 950 prefab units are being rented in primary and post-primary schools. I have been informed that the process of replacing the prefabs will not commence until 2018. Along with many parents and teachers, I feel this is not good enough. Will the Minister commit to giving the matter urgent consideration and put in place a clear timeframe for the issue to be addressed? I also ask for clarity on the assessment issue.
On the positive side, compared with a decade ago we have half the number of rented prefabs. However, we recognise this is an area we need to address. Obviously, there is pressure on the education capital budget to ensure there is provision for every child. We are going through a period where 20,000 additional places need to be delivered every year, which has absorbed the majority of the budget. Notwithstanding that, we are making provision for this and it will commence. The target is that this will start in 2019. The review will be undertaken in a timely manner to deal with that.
The figure I have for the cost of renting the 950 prefabs is €25 million. As I said in the original reply, in any system there will be a requirement for temporary accommodation because populations wax and wane. We are clearly committed to bringing it down to a lower figure than the current level over time.
I again thank the Minister for his response. I welcome the reduction. The €128 million figure relates to the past five years and came from the media, based on freedom of information data. I remain unconvinced that the issue is being given the priority it deserves. We are wasting millions of euro that could be channelled into special education, for example, as we mentioned earlier and many other different areas. Building schools will save money in the long term because we will not be wasting millions on prefabs that provide substandard conditions.
I have spoken to principals who have informed me that they could have had their extension built three times over for the same amount they have poured down the drain for their prefabs. Further money is being wasted on maintenance of these prefabs. As the Minister knows, many of the prefabs deteriorate over time. I have seen many of them in a dilapidated state - I am sure the Minister also has - and they are simply not fit to accommodate children and teachers. It is also a huge waste of money. The Minister continually refers to money and budgets, and this needs to be considered over the long term.
We also need to look at it the other way round. That €25 million being spent on 950 prefabs would probably build one secondary school and one primary school. Switching that sort of a budget to building would not replace 950 prefabs. We are trying to strike a balance. We want to minimise the number, but in the short term a big population bulge requires flexible responses. In an ideal world we would keep these down to just transitional arrangements. My predecessors and I inherited a situation where 2,000 temporary prefabs were in use. It is now down to half of that and we have a programme to reduce it to much lower levels over time. However, a balance needs to be struck in allocating the capital budget.