Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have no doubt that the Minister wants to get these schools open. However, I do not think anyone who wants to get into these schools will take a lot of comfort from his statement. He stated that he is satisfied that everything possible is being done. My understanding is that the subcontractors have not been engaged with. It was stated a few minutes ago that subcontractors are beginning to remove equipment. Have subcontractors been engaged with? If they have not, will the Minister please commit to engaging with them this week? We cannot have a situation where worried subcontractors are removing equipment from the schools.

The Minister also said he would keep the House updated as details of the rectification plan are confirmed. At this point, it is disappointing that he does not have specific dates, so can he give us indicative dates, and can he tell us when he will have the rectification plan in place?

Finally, if the Minister comes back to the House, hopefully later this week or next week at the latest, with the proposed dates for when these schools will be accessible to the students and the parents and that will take more than a few weeks, will he commit to immediately putting in place a contingency plan, that is, a bridging legal agreement that gets the students into these schools?

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