Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not know whether the Deputy was listening to me when responding earlier. The answer to this question is a little different. It is a variation of the previous response so I will put it on the record.

The safety of the school students and staff has been my priority from when the initial invasive work was done in Ardgillan on 19 October. It continues to be my overriding priority. I shall give a summary of the outcome. Nineteen schools were cleared to open in full without any precautionary works, 19 were enabled to open in full following external precautionary measures in the form of fencing around all or part of the building and protective decking, and three were enabled to open, initially at ground floor level only, following the implementation of both internal and external precautionary measures. The latter relates to two schools in Tyrrelstown and Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada in Lucan. One building, namely phase 1 of Ardgillan Community College, closed completely.

Internal precautionary works are currently ongoing on the upper floors of the three schools that were opened initially at ground floor levels only. I assure the Deputy that the Department's priority is to have these works completed to enable all three schools to open fully and the students who were temporarily decanted off site to return in the coming weeks. I acknowledge the impact this has had on parents, staff and boards of management in recent weeks. I thank them not only for their patience and understanding but also for their proactivity. They have been proactive in ensuring whatever measures needed to be put in place would be put in place. I was in Tyrrelstown last week. I watched how the work was organised. It included gardaí, stewards and staff decanting students on a day-to-day basis in the rain. It was exceptional work in a short period.

Let me focus on what happens next. We will move as quickly as possible to the next phase, which is to initiate more detailed structural investigations in all 42 schools, even the 19 that did not have any structural issues. Following this, the objective is to implement the permanent remediation works required.

It is also my intention to initiate an independent review of the Department's design-and-build programme, to include aspects such as procurement, quality control, workmanship and oversight, examining aspects both before and after the implementation of the amended building control regulations in 2014. This will be an independent review conducted by a person or entity outside the Department. This review will be informed by the more detailed structural investigations to be carried out in the next phase of the programme.

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