Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Deputy Catherine Martin that it has created a lot of worry and concern and been a body blow to individual communities that were very much part and parcel of ensuring the school projects came to fruition in the first place. I agree completely with her assertion that it is a worrying time, but safety has been at the heart of our deliberations. I remember that when the problem first emerged, we were faced with two issues, the first of which was ensuring the safety of the staff and pupils. The second was trying to ensure continuity in the education of the children in the classroom. They were our two main foci in the past two weeks.

The Deputy asked about the decision made in September 2017. That matter has been cleared up. There has been a clerk of works for all major building projects since 2017.

The Deputy asked how many WBS schools had been assessed. Of the 55 schools, I think reports on 51 have been forwarded to the Department.

The Deputy asked about the regime post-2014. There are four schools. There is a three school campus in Ashbourne, as well as Scoil Chaitlín Maude in Tallaght. There is concern about the external walls in these schools that has to be backed up with evidence and engineering assessments.

The next phase involves the 19 schools identified in which, for example, there is the potential absence of wall ties but in which there is no immediate or imminent danger. We will be pursuing an intensive and comprehensive programme of works to assess the extent of the problems in these schools and ensure they will be rectified.

The Deputy talked about external fencing and the making of payments. At this stage, as far as I am aware, there is no indication of payments being made by WBS. The estimation of cost will be based on the extent and nature of the works required. We are trying to evaluate and assess the extent of the works required in all 42 schools.

The Deputy referenced fire audits and asked is there was correlation between them and structural assessments. While there could be issues with doorstops and and doors not opening properly, that never is an indication that there are structural issues within the cavity walls. While all of the fire assessments were being carried out, at no stage were structural weaknesses identified until the opening of the walls at Ardgillan community college on the Friday afternoon.