Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for affording us the opportunity to raise this particularly important issue for County Kildare. I refer to the tendering process relating to the replacement of buildings and facilities for Maynooth post-primary school. The school is to be moved to a new campus on the Moyglare Road and the tendering process has been completed. Unfortunately, in recent times a statement was issued by the Department of Education and Skills outlining future work programmes that did not include this project, although it has been included in the capital programme from last year. We strongly support any effort to bring the matter to a satisfactory conclusion.

We understand a value-for-money or similar evaluation has been carried out on the project and that some trimming had to be effected. Further information was sought by the Department. The analysis raised these legitimate issues and we understand the response has been submitted. However, the project seems to be stuck at a particular juncture.

It is in everybody's interest, particularly the children in the local feeder schools. The project now encompasses two buildings in two schools, the Maynooth post-primary school replacement and Maynooth community college, on the same campus. If it were any help, I am sure we would all agree that the original suggestion, which was one school with a junior and a senior cycle, might bring about some economies even at this stage. The local community and the public representatives, who are at one on this, would be more than happy to agree to that, if it could be done. It is important the Minister reassures the House as to the availability of the funding which has already been provided for.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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In 2009, the board of management wrote to the Minister requesting an extension to the school. In 2010, that was refused and it was told it would get a new school. The school was regarded as fit for purpose for 800 pupils but, in fact, it was catering for 1,000. Obviously, that is a growing number in a developing area. The board of management wrote requesting, as Deputy Durkan said, a junior-senior system as opposed to two schools. The patronage was subsequently granted to the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board, KWETB.

The design and planning began and in December 2015, the tender report was submitted to the Department. Four months later, the Department responded to the school with ten questions and some reductions were sought. That was responded to and there appears to be some confusion in the Department about whether a full response has been made. The KWETB said it has but the Department said it had not received it. Alterations to traffic signals in the town have been requested. The KWETB would only be a contributor to that because there are many other things happening, plus a traffic management survey. The KWETB is happy to give a letter of guarantee, so that there is no ongoing issue in that regard.

We are trying to find out whether the funding is secure, when the tender will be issued and when the project is expected to commence because the tender lasts for a year and that would be up to about October of this year. There is a critical timeline in that if the school is not delivered by September 2018, the Department will then incur expenses in the form of temporary accommodation because there is not adequate accommodation. The timeline is critically important. The key issue is that there are rumours circulating that there is doubt about the timeline for the project and that needs to be responded to. I hope the Minister will be able to do that today.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies for raising this matter, which they mentioned to me yesterday evening. I assure them that I know Maynooth very well and I am very committed to ensuring this project is delivered. I know the parents are very anxious about the situation and are keen that their children will receive their education in the best facilities possible. This project was tendered by Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board, KWETB, late last year. Acting with appropriate diligence, an examination of the KWETB's tender report was carried out by Department officials. Unfortunately, this examination showed a number of technical issues with the tender process. Arising from this, officials asked the KWETB for certain clarifications. While the KWETB has addressed some of these matters, others are still outstanding.

The specific issues of concern include: an unexplained cost overrun; the absence of an acceptable schedule of proposed reductions both to address this cost overrun and to meet the approved budget; the inclusion of an additional 700 sq. m of floor space; and the exclusion in the tender documents of significant additional works relating to planning permission conditions. Indeed, the extent of these works has not been fleshed out with the local authority which, in and of itself, is a planning condition. It is also a planning condition that the new schools cannot open until these works are carried out. The cost of the works involved are substantial and unquantified.

These are all very significant issues for the project. In the Department's experience, works that were not properly specified or quantified at tender stage constitute the greatest source of overruns. It is the intention of the Department to advise the KWETB to now retender the project. Given the length of time since the original tender process, as well as the need to address construction inflation, which is running at between 5% and 6% per annum, the Department has determined that this is the most prudent approach to minimise risk for the taxpayer. I should note that as Minister, I have no role in relation to the decision to award a tender or to retender a project as the case may be. That decision is taken by the Department.

While the decision to retender may result in some initial delay in getting the project to site, I am advised by the Department that this would be the most sensible way to ensure that neither KWETB nor the project itself is compromised in any contract awarded and that the project is delivered as quickly as possible. Critically, this approach would ensure that all aspects of the project, including those in relation to planning conditions, are included in the works tendered to avoid the possibility of the school not being able to open when built. This approach would also allow for a phasing of the project to make one building available somewhat ahead of the other to deal with the continuing growing demand for pupil places in the area. This would not be possible under the tendering process carried out late last year.

I assure the Deputies that my Department is completely committed to the delivery of the new school buildings for Maynooth and it is as anxious as KWETB and the wider community in Maynooth to get the project to site as quickly as possible. There is no issue in relation to the availability of funding. My Department will continue to work with the KWETB to achieve this and I want to reinforce the position that the Department's decision to retender the project is being taken solely to arrive at a positive outcome for the local community in the shortest timeframe possible. I thank the Deputies again for raising this matter and I hope I have assured them of my Department's commitment to deliver these two schools as quickly as possible.