Dáil debates

Thursday, 26 February 2009

Priority Questions

Schools Building Projects.

2:00 pm

Photo of Brian HayesBrian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 3: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if, in respect of his most recent announcement on 12 February 2009, for major school buildings, additional schools were added to the final list which had been agreed on 11 February 2009 within his Department; the schools in relation to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8198/09]

Photo of Batt O'KeeffeBatt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, on 12 February 2009, I made an announcement regarding 43 school projects which will receive approval from my Department to proceed to tender with a view to proceeding to construction this year. I also announced that 25 projects would receive approval to start architectural planning, that is, they will receive approval to appoint a design team and begin work on the architectural design of their projects.

The selection of the various projects to go to construction is complex and was undertaken with regard to the availability of funding and the priority of the projects. Priority is established primarily on the basis of the projects' band-rating in accordance with the criteria for prioritising large-scale projects, details of which are published on my Department's website. However, certain other factors are taken into account in the selection of projects. These factors include the stage of progression through the architectural design process, that is, whether the project is technically ready to proceed to tender and construction; whether the project was previously allowed to proceed to tender but did not do so for various reasons; the need to achieve an appropriate balance of capital expenditure on a multi-annual basis between primary and post-primary building projects; the need to ensure that contractual commitments are not entered into in any particular year which might not be capable of being met in future years; the need to ensure adequate funding is available for the purchase of sites for key projects and the need to provide additional school places in rapidly developing areas to meet increasing demand while at the same time balancing this with the need to maintain investment in the improvement of existing school buildings.

All of these factors have to be considered before making a final selection and this work was done over a period of time. The selection of the projects to be included on the list was finalised on 11 February 2009 and a press release issued the following day. As is normal with a process like this, there would have been a number of initial draft lists which would have been subject to amendments prior to being finalised. At the time the Government was considering the capital programme and subsequently decided to allocate additional resources to the school building and modernisation programme. At all times during this process I consulted with, and was advised by, officials in my Department.

Photo of Brian HayesBrian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I know exactly what the Minister said on 12 February. That is not the issue. The issue is that a document was posted on the Department's website some days in advance of that date, announcing that 41 major school building projects would proceed to tender and construction. Underneath that was the sentence "Insert link here once list is cleared!!!"

Two schools were added to the list. What were they and why were they put on the list? It is clear to schools around the country that politicisation of the schools building programme is at the centre of all decisions this Minister and his predecessors have got away with for the past ten years. Schools are decided not on the basis of priority, as the Minister suggests, but on votes and a cynical attempt by the Minister to use this as a slush fund for Fianna Fáil. We need transparency. The Minister has been exposed because the official advice on his Department's website 24 hours before 12 February cited 41 major school projects but the actual announcement was for 43 schools. Politics gets in the way of all decisions the Minister takes in respect of this list.

Photo of Batt O'KeeffeBatt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy answered his own question when he said this appeared on the website. I was not aware of that and thank him for the information.

Photo of Brian HayesBrian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I have a print-out.

Photo of Batt O'KeeffeBatt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I was not aware it was on the site. The important phrase is "to be cleared".

Photo of Brian HayesBrian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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It was taken off the website within three minutes.

Photo of Batt O'KeeffeBatt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The important point for me is that I cleared the final draft with my officials on 11 February. That afternoon I did an interview with RTE which was to be held over for 12 February. I cleared the final list with my officials on 11 February and announced it officially on 12 February. I do not know what appeared.

The process involves meetings with officials who show a range of schools on the list to be brought forward but one has only a certain amount of money to spend. A critical factor for me was how to ensure that these projects could commence in 2009 and how could I be certain that I could create jobs and would not have approvals for jobs which could not commence in 2009. The position of the schools was critical.

That list covered schools around the country. I have given a commitment that the various stages of the school building will be put on the website. I apologise to the House because I understood that this information would be available before Christmas. The building unit has been extremely busy, preparing for 43 projects. We will produce 19,000 school places this year. Last year, we produced a record 12,000 places. It was no mean feat and we held many meetings to ensure that the projects we undertook could commence and give gainful employment to 4,000 extra people in the construction industry.

Photo of Brian HayesBrian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Does the Minister understand people's cynicism about this decision-making process when they hear that in November 2006 his predecessor, Deputy Hanafin, gave the green light to six of the 43 schools to which he gave the green light on 12 February? The Minister is worse than Paul Daniels, saying "now you see it, now you do not". This is an extraordinary situation, six of the 43 projects were re-announced three years later.

The education partners and schools around the country have no confidence in the decision-making process that results in the list the Minister produces at various times during the year. I am glad that the Minister will now give us the website, warts and all, as he promised he would do before Christmas. The process of selecting schools must be much more open and transparent because the cynicism in the education community is well-justified when even on the Minister's admission six of the 43 schools were given the green light three years ago but nothing happened.

Photo of Batt O'KeeffeBatt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Several schools were announced but funding was not available. This time I had adequate funds. I made sure that the commitments entered into would be honoured, the schools were announced and the reaction was very good. I do not accept what the Deputy says about cynicism. The process in the Department will be open, above board and decisions will be made on merit and need. In 2009 the most important element was the stage the schools had reached. Many people are disappointed. I met many deputations from around the country. I make it my business to visit schools to meet deputations and to hear what people have to say. Many schools are disappointed. I am sorry about that. I wish I could have delivered more.

This year I had two things in mind on the question of delivery, that the building could go to construction and that I would deliver jobs in a sector that was badly affected by the downturn. We are confident that in the education sector we will create and sustain 4,000 jobs within the construction industry. That is no mean achievement. We will deliver a record number of school places to ensure that a good environment is created for pupils.