Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil le mo chomhghleacaithe as ucht seans labhairt i dtaobh imní atá ar na daoine sna scoilenna i gceist agus i dtaobh an ábhair iontaigh thábhachtaigh seo. I appreciate the opportunity to update the Dáil on the structural assessments that were undertaken at 42 schools constructed by Western Building Systems and the next steps to be taken by the Department of Education and Skills. Throughout this process, my priority and that of my Department has been the safety of school students and staff. We fully appreciate and acknowledge the disruption and inconvenience that has been caused to parents, teachers and pupils by the assessments and by the precautionary measures implemented. I am aware that the recent disruption has been difficult for families and that many parents have had to arrange childcare or take time off work because of these developments. I want to take this opportunity in the Dáil to recognise that.

Tá sé ráite go bhfuil an fhírinne searbh ach ní searbh atá sé; tá sé garbh. It is often said the truth is bitter but it is not; it is rough. This has been a rough truth for many communities, many that have been involved in building and many involved at every step of the way with the schools. It is also a rough truth for the staff, parents and young people who go to these schools. I am committed to ensuring we have these problems rectified in as timely a manner as possible.

I express my sincere thanks to school principals, patrons and boards of management who have worked and continue to work in close co-operation with my Department through this difficult period. The outcome of all 42 structural assessments, including the full list of schools requiring precautionary measures, was published on 1 November. The summary of the situation is as follows: 19 schools were cleared to open in full this week without any precautionary works; a further 19 were enabled to open in full following external precautionary measures in the form of a fence around the building, or part of a building, and protective decking at all entrances and exits; three schools, two in Tyrrelstown and one in Lucan, are being enabled to open, initially at ground floor level only, following the implementation of both internal engineering solutions and external precautionary measures; and one building, namely phase 1 of Ardgillan community college, built in 2009, remains closed but with the use of phase 2 of the college and overflow accommodation it has been possible for the school to open fully. There has been intense deliberation and contact between the education and training board, ETB, the CEO, Paddy Lavelle, and the principal, Michael O'Leary, to come up with a solution. I acknowledge the role of the ETB in that regard.

I would like to give a more detailed update in regard to two of the schools, St. Luke's national school in Tyrrelstown and Tyrrelstown Educate Together national school, which have required internal as well as external precautionary measures. Following feedback received from the school authorities at a meeting with Department officials on Monday, further work was undertaken over the past two days to minimise the impact of the precautionary measures on the smooth running of the schools. Time has also been required this week to work through other operational and logistical issues, such as a traffic management plan. As only the ground floors of the buildings will be opening initially, some students will need to be accommodated in alternative locations.

Prior to the reopening of the schools, the school authorities have invited parents this morning to view the precautionary measures in place and to raise any questions they might have. Representatives from the independent structural engineering firm that conducted the assessments, along with Department officials, are on site at the schools to assist in answering any questions arising. We are collectively working towards the reopening of both schools this week; however, the arrangements for reopening will be communicated by the schools directly to parents and pupils.

The Department's clear priority over the mid-term break was to ensure that the structural assessments were conducted and any precautionary measures implemented to ensure safe occupancy this week. This required significant mobilisation of engineers and contractors. I acknowledge their commitment and support.

In total, some 250 workers were on site in the 22 schools requiring precautionary measures. All measures were in place by Sunday night, 4 November. I acknowledge all the individual communities who worked hand in glove with the school boards of management and principals to ensure solutions were put in place in this tight timeframe.

The Department now intends to move as quickly as possible to the next phase, which is to initiate more detailed structural investigations at the 42 schools and, following this, to implement the permanent remediation works required. We cannot give a precise timeframe at this point for the duration of precautionary measures or the implementation of permanent works as this will depend on the outcome of the next phase of investigations. Every effort will be made, however, to keep the duration of temporary measures to a minimum. I wish to give a direct message to principals that my team of officials and I are committed to ensuring we do this in a speedy way because we do not want principals to face uncertainty as to what length the fencing around their schools will be, such as the 3 km fence around the three-campus school in Ashbourne. My commitment to the principals and the school communities is that this will remain a priority when we start the more comprehensive investigations into the 42 schools.

The structural issues uncovered during the programme of assessments have raised many questions and concerns that need to be addressed. It is important to restore trust in our school building programme. Schools are at the heart of our local communities. As a part of that, it is our intention to initiate a programme level review of the Department’s design and build programme to include aspects such as procurement, quality control, workmanship and oversight. This review will be informed by the detailed structural assessments at WBS constructed schools. It will be an independent review conducted by a person or entity from outside of the Department. I want to see this done in as timely a manner as possible. I am not in the business of having a six month or nine month review which will potentially hold up proceedings. I want to ensure this review, examination, investigation or whatever people wish to call it will be done independently and in as speedy a manner as possible. It will be a single process.

If there are specific lessons for the Department or the wider system, we want to learn them and ensure they inform our building programme. As Minister, it is my duty to fix whatever needs to be fixed. I want to be crystal clear, however, that in parallel with this we fully intend to pursue WBS through all contractual and legal challenges for the costs arising from the structural defects. Under the public works design and build contract, the contractor and the contractor’s design team are clearly responsible for ensuring quality and presenting certificates which confirm that the buildings are constructed in accordance with the works requirements and building regulations.

The certificates signed by WBS are on the Department’s files. As we have seen, significant issues were uncovered in buildings which were confirmed by the contractor as having been compliant with regulations. As we turn our attention to some of these important questions, I am conscious that it is school students and staff who must deal from day to day with the significant disruption and inconvenience caused by the structural defects. Our priority remains their safety and that will continue to be the case. No effort will be spared in ensuring all defects are remedied on a permanent basis and that students and teachers can enjoy the highest quality education environment.

Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis na daoine uilig sa Teach agus sa Seanad, go háirithe baill an chomhchoiste oideachais, fá choinne an chumarsáid agus an comhoibriú thar an coicís atá imithe thart. I thank all the Members of this House and the Seanad, in particular, the members of the Joint Committee on Education and Skills for their co-operation and communication over the past fortnight. Níl sé éasca do na daoine uilig sna scoileanna. It is not easy for all the people within the schools, ach tá mé tiomanta don ghealltanas atá luaite agam le coicís anuas agus arís ar maidin. The commitment I give this morning and have given for the past two weeks is that I will ensure the safety of the pupils and staff in these schools and get this work done properly to the highest possible standards.

See this speech in context