The Department of Education is to continue to use Public Private Partnerships (PPP) for the construction of new schools, despite criticism of the previous €150 million five-school pilot sheme.

Under the partnerships, private companies build and maintain schools for 25 years in return for fees from the Department.

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Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin previously said that 27 PPP schools were to be built in the coming years.

Last week, department Secretary General Brigid McManus revealed to the Public Accounts Committee, that four new schools had gone to planning stage and are expected to be available at the end of 2009.

In 2004 the Comptroller and Auditor General, John Purcell said in a report that the five pilot schools could have been built more cheaply by the state.

However, Ms McManus told the Dail committee that lessons had been learned and the scheme had been reviewed.

(VB/NS)