Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy has raised a number of very important points. When one speaks to people in the building trade and at a wider level it is clear that smaller companies feel that they are precluded from tendering for contracts, even when they have a proven track record, because of the turnover threshold . I am on public record on that issue, and I certainly agree that it is an issue that should be grappled with. We should ensure that smaller companies with good track records should not be precluded from tendering. My Department is looking at bundling projects for the Higher Education Authority. I have publicly commented on that issue in the past.

The head of building control has agreed to give a briefing to the members of the committee on the processes that are employed. I am taking the DBO process very seriously in this instance. There were unacceptable building standards applied to schools, and those unacceptable standards have lead to chaos for families and children. Parents are wondering if their children were in a school that was unsafe in the first place and if the school they are attending is now safe. It is completely unacceptable. Whatever the findings of this review in terms of culpability and accountability, and whatever the legal outcome, I want to learn from this to ensure that personal responsibility is taken. We cannot have a situation where someone is looking over a bricklayer's shoulder and checking every block that he or she lays. That is not possible. However, we can provide legislative accountability in terms of who is responsible, i.e. the contractor and the designer. The Deputy has identified a weakness with the role of the clerk of works in this particular DBO process. I am happy to highlight that, and I am sure the review-----

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