Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 May 2026
145. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total costs incurred in Clare for land rental and prefab rental for primary and for post primary schools for the years 2020-2025; the total duration for which each school has had prefab accommodation; the comparison cost of long-term rental against the cost of permanent construction; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40523/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe costs of rental accommodation in Co Clare for 2020 to 2025 is provided on the attached document. There are currently 24 rental contracts for Co. Clare for prefabs and land, of which 22 contracts relate to rental of prefabs and 2 contracts relate to rental of land. These contracts relate to 9 schools in Co. Clare.
The other details requested by the Deputy are not readily available at this time but will be the subject of a new strategic review of school rental accommodation by the department.
While maximising the opportunities to achieve value for money involves matching, as best as possible, the accommodation requirement and duration with the appropriate accommodation solution, it is also important to note that the use of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) reflects the Government’s broader commitment to developing modern, sustainable infrastructure. MMC enhances the productivity, efficiency, and environmental sustainability of school accommodation delivery. The Modular Accommodation Framework is a key part of the Department’s strategy for the provision of good quality functional accommodation to meet the permanent accommodation requirements for prioritised individual schools. Offsite construction minimises disruption in live school environments, while factory precision and strict quality control deliver robust, low-maintenance buildings. Today’s modular buildings represent a major advancement from earlier prefabricated forms and, since December 2018, all new builds — including modular — must meet the Near Zero Energy Building (NZEB) standard, ensuring high energy efficiency and sustainability.
As part of National Development Plan rollout, it is envisaged that there will be continued strong rollout of the Modular Accommodation Programme to meet additional permanent accommodation requirements that are deemed urgent and necessary by the Department and that cannot be met from within existing school capacity. While the intended lifespan of individual units may currently vary, modular units provided from the Department’s framework have a design life of 60 years.
|
County |
Clare |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
Total |
|
Total (Rental of Land and Prefabs) |
425,046 |
579,881 |
620,824 |
773,309 |
909,684 |
812,008 |
4,120,753 |
