Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of Scoil Bhríde primary school in Portlaoise. I welcome the opportunity it affords me to outline the Government's strategy for capital investment in school building projects over the next five years. It also allows me to outline the new school accommodation to be delivered in Portlaoise under the five-year construction programme and to update the Dáil on the status of the new school building project for Scoil Bhríde primary school.

In order to meet the needs of our growing population of school-going children, the Department must establish new schools as well as extend or replace a number of existing schools in areas where demographic growth has been identified. The delivery of these new schools, together with extension projects to meet future demand, will be the main focus for the Department's capital budget for the coming years. Scoil Bhríde is one of 275 schools for which projects which have been scheduled to commence construction over the five years of the programme. In scheduling when each project can proceed to construction, the Department must take into account the funding available annually and the requirement to provide additional school places to meet the increasing demographic needs which I outlined when launching the programme.

There are three major building projects in Portlaoise which have been included in the five-year programme. A single-campus project to provide three new schools on one site for Portlaoise Educate Together, Gaelscoil Phortlaoise and Maryborough national school is scheduled to commence construction in 2013. This project, when complete, will provide 21 additional mainstream classrooms which will accommodate approximately 588 pupils. The additional accommodation being provided in these schools also substantially increases the diversity of provision available in the area. A second project, to deliver two new schools to cater for the amalgamation of St Paul's, the Sacred Heart and Scoil Mhuire national schools is also scheduled to commence construction in 2013. The third project which will see the construction of a new 32-classroom school building with special needs unit for Scoil Bhríde, Knockmay, is scheduled to commence construction in 2014 or 2015.

The design team for Scoil Bhríde is currently working on the stage 2(b) submission, including the preparation of tender documents, which, on completion, will be forwarded to my Department for review. Planning permission, disability access and fire safety certificates have all been secured. In February, the school was requested to contact the Department with regard to pre-qualification of contractors, five weeks prior to its expected date for the submission of the stage 2(b) report. I understand that the school has not yet contacted the Department in this regard. If the Deputy has information to the contrary, perhaps he might let us know. Pre-qualification of contractors is an integral part of the tender process and cannot be conducted too far in advance of the main tender for appointment of the contractor.

Following submission of the stage 2(b) report and assuming no issues arise, my Department will be in further contact with the board of management regarding pre-qualification of contractors at a suitable date to allow the tender and construction of the project to proceed as scheduled on the five-year construction programme.

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