Cork TD Deirdre Clune has released figures provided to her by the Minister for Education confirming that his Department will spend almost €4 million on renting prefabs for Cork schools this year.

In response to a question I raised with the Minister for Education, he acknowledged that his Department is currently renting 282 prefabs in 116 schools in Cork. The average annual rental cost per prefab unit is €14,022 and on these figures the Government will spend €3,954,204 on renting prefabs for Cork schools alone this year.

Among the Cork schools most dependent on these expensive prefabs while they await new buildings are:

Gaelscoil Chloch na gCoillte has 16 prefabs costing an estimated €224,352 a year;
Scoil Bhríde, Rathcormac has eight prefabs costing an estimated €112,176 a year;
Shanbally NS in Ringaskiddy and St. Brigid’s Primary in Midleton each have seven prefabs costing an estimated €98,154 a year for each school;
Ballygarvan NS, Scoil Niocláis NS in Grange-Frankfield, Gaelscoil Carrig Uí Leighin and St. John’s Girls NS in Carrigaline each have 6 prefabs costing an estimated €84,132 a year for each school.

As Irish taxpayers are being asked to give the Government a greater portion of their wages in an income levy, and in the case of public servants a pension levy, we can all benefit from having a greater understanding of where taxpayers’ money is being spent.

Unfortunately, this has also a false economy, in which the Government is spending money on temporary accommodation which could be better used to develop permanent new school buildings. The Government must immediately accelerate the school building programme, and create vital new employment in the process. This could be done by fast-tracking planning proposals for new schools using standardised high quality designs.

Please find attached a Parliamentary Question on this issue

Uimhir:482

The Deputy will be aware that demand for additional accommodation in schools
has risen significantly over the last number of years, with the appointment of
6,000 extra teachers in the primary sector alone since 2002. It will continue
to be necessary for prefabricated accommodation to be provided because
competing priorities mean that it will not always be possible to have a
permanent accommodation solution in place in a short timeframe.