Fine Gael National Press Office Press Release

..................................................................

Hayes welcomes O'Keeffe's 'extraordinary' U-turn on prefabs as some schools pay €100,000+

Fine Gael Education Spokesman Brian Hayes TD, speaking from the INTO conference in Letterkenny, has welcomed Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe's U-turn on school prefabs after he announced plans to engage directly with prefab suppliers on rental costs.

"For the past 12 months, I have demanded that Minister O'Keeffe should introduce a rent cap on prefabs and renegotiate the contract for temporary accommodation on behalf of thousands of schools. Last Friday I highlighted the extraordinary rental charge for prefabs paid on an annual basis by the Department of Education.

"Information obtained by me in the Dáil had revealed that 210 schools have annual prefab rental costs of over €100,000, while a further 184 schools pay €50,000.

"The Minister has now seen sense in the argument I have been making. This is an extraordinary admission given that he has allowed extortionate rents to be paid to these suppliers for far too long."