John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This matter will end up in a protracted legal case. Liquidations do not end well and this liquidation will not be any different. Not only are the teachers, pupils and parents involved at the mercy of a potential legal case, they are also at the mercy of banks in Tokyo and Germany.

The Minister will be well aware that in the case of a public private partnership lasting for 25 years, the State will not take control of the asset until the end of the 25-year period. I ask him to clarify the position in this regard.

We cannot afford to wait. I want answers to a number of specific questions. What contingency arrangements will the Minister put in place? Will he consider introducing emergency legislation to ensure pupils and teachers are given immediate access to the schools in question? Given that Coláiste Ráithín only requires certification, will the Minister ensure the certification process is fast-tracked in order that staff and students can move into the new building?

Will the Minister ensure the certification process is fast-tracked to ensure Coláiste Ráithíncan move in? Will he look at putting in a caretaker maintenance arrangement for Coláiste Ráithín and the other schools that are complete to ensure that they can move in? I have one final and very important point. Coláiste Ráithín is fully equipped, with tables, chairs, whiteboards and the lot. There are fears that the suppliers of those materials have not been paid and that they will go into the school, as they have in others, to withdraw those materials. Will the Minister ensure that the suppliers are fully paid and that the materials will not be stripped from the schools, adding to the delays they will face?

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