Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Perhaps I might clarify why I am asking this question. I cannot go into the details of the individual school because I do not have sufficient evidence, but an allegation was made to me regarding the construction of a new school building which had been given the go-ahead from the Department to the effect that the builder was not employing people according to the regulations. Specifically, the claim was that workers were coming down from the North and getting money in their back pockets. Having conducted some investigations, the problem seems to be that there was no capacity on the part of the Department to investigate the issue because the responsibility was with the school. The point I am making is that this is a very difficult responsibility to put on the shoulders of a board of management, the main concern of which, once it has secured the necessary funding, will surely be to get the building up and running as soon as possible.

I am raising the issue because I do not like to see anybody employed improperly, which can lead to the exclusion of people who are legitimate. Will Mr. Ó Foghlú indicate whether the Department might be in a position to take a more proactive role in these situations? Any individual school will not be in a good position to make the checks that might be necessary. Its concern, understandably, will be to proceed with the building work.