Scope for more PPPs-built schools, says Hanafin

THE new education minister believes more schools should be built through public private partnerships (PPPs) despite criticism of such ventures by the public spending watchdog.

Mary Hanafin acknowledged mistakes were made in a Dublin PPPs pilot project but argued the schools were still built efficiently. A Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) report last month criticised the Department of Education’s forecasting of the costs of five second level schools built for it by a private company. It pointed to the fact that the cost of the schools may have been underestimated by up to 20%. However, it also highlighted that the schools were designed and built almost a year-and-a-half quicker than under the normal procurement procedure.

While there are mixed political views on the use of PPPs for buildings and roads, Ms Hanafin said there is scope for further use of them in the school building programme.