Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for coming to the House. This refers to extensions being built in two schools, namely, St. Colman's community college in Middleton and Coláiste an Chraoibhín in Fermoy. Both are in the constituency represented by me and Deputy Sean Sherlock, and I thank him for sharing this Topical Issue. I am au fait with the Fermoy issue where, at present, 750 students are in attendance. This figure is projected to increase to 800 in the school year from 2018 to 2019. This issue arises from a parliamentary question I asked of the Minister on 26 April. With regard to Coláiste an Chraoibhín in Fermoy, the Minister replied that the Department is working with the education and training board and the contractor to ensure the project is completed as quickly as possible. We are led to believe, and the Minister has said it himself, that this contractor has been dropped altogether from the negotiations. The same contractor, Sammon, is involved in the development of both schools and the works have been a nightmare, including for the subcontractors on site doing the work and the issues that arose over the past two years. These works started under the previous Government's rapid build programme. It is ironic we are already a year and a half behind schedule. Now we see liquidation arise and we do not know where we are at present. Parents are writing to all of us. Teachers are in disarray. We are wondering whether the Minister can do something to get the issue sorted.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I welcome the opportunity to raise this issue, in co-operation with my constituency colleague, Deputy O'Keeffe. I was the Minister of State who turned the sod for the two schools in question in 2015. These are multimillion euro projects to deliver, in the instance of St. Colman's community college in Middleton, for 1,000 students and, in the instance of Coláiste an Chraoibhín in Fermoy, for 800 students. The parents, staff and students, who are the most important people in all this, received correspondence last week from Cork Education and Training Board to state it had decided to terminate the contract with Sammon for the building of the extensions. This is a very serious matter and it is causing a great degree of worry because the ETB is stating it will put in place additional accommodation for September 2018 if necessary. Our reason for raising this issue here today is to seek to ensure that Cork ETB can work with the Department and all the other stakeholders to ensure the tendering process that is necessary to deliver these two vital projects to completion happens post-haste, in other words, that it happens immediately, so we can reach the milestones set down under the previous school capital programme. At the end of the day, this is about delivering education for hundreds of students in our local area, and we want to ensure they get the best possible chance to be able to do this and that it is done in a timely fashion.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. We are very much aware of the frustration felt locally by parents, staff and pupils alike at the delay in completing the building projects at Coláiste an Chraoibhín in Fermoy and at Coláiste Cholmán in Midleton. We are acutely aware of the need for these extension projects to be completed as quickly as possible to improve conditions for the pupils and staff and to facilitate overall enrolment growth. The completion of these projects is an absolute priority for my Department and for Cork Education and Training Board to whom the projects have been devolved for delivery.

The contractor for the project entered examinership on 5 April last. The Deputies are probably aware that prior to that event the projects were a year behind, as Deputy O'Keeffe recognised. Despite strenuous and relentless efforts by Cork ETB and its design teams over that time, the contractor did not respond in any meaningful way to complete the projects within the contract. It was due to complete in February 2017.

When the contractor entered examinership, work on the projects effectively ceased. A meeting was convened on the 19 April with the examiner’s representative, the contractor, my Department and the Cork Education and Training Board, ETB, together with its legal adviser, to determine what impact examinership would have on the projects. At the meeting the contractor was given an opportunity to present a viable plan to complete the projects. As the contractor did not subsequently provide those plans as agreed, or indeed any plans, and as an independent conciliation process between the contract parties on the 3 May concluded without a satisfactory outcome, both contracts were terminated by Cork ETB on 8 May.

While this development is regrettable our priority now is to achieve a very clear path to getting the projects completed. The next steps are for the design teams to prepare schedules of the work needed to complete each project and costings for them. This is in train and the ETB expects to have reports from the design teams shortly. These will be submitted to my Department for consideration and approval and this process will be turned around as quickly as possible. Following that, the remaining works will be tendered. I have asked my Department to provide me with a critical path and to consider how each stage in that critical path can be delivered as quickly as possible. I can give assurance that for both projects, all efforts are being focused on attaining the quickest outcomes possible without compromising building quality.

Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his response. As I said earlier, the alarm bells were not ringing in 2017 or 2018. This was an issue well before that. There were major difficulties with that contractor. It is ironic, in the case of Coláiste an Chraoibhín in Fermoy, that some of the classes have been sent back to the school they left 30 years ago, the old tech on Main Street in Fermoy. There are many issues outstanding around health and safety, fire safety and well-being that have not been addressed in that building. I ask that the Minister gives the ETB every bit of support so we can get this work to progress in both of the colleges affected.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I welcome the Minister's response. It sets out the process around the meetings with the contractor and the fact that the contractor did not subsequently provide the plans as was agreed. I welcome the Minister's transparency in this. We now need to talk about the future and ensure the projects are completed so the students can get into the two schools. This is the most important thing. Following the reply, I now understand why the ETB suspended the contracts. We have it clearly from the Minister himself.

The Minister said he is to seek a critical path and that a process is under way. The parents, students, teachers and staff will find some comfort in those words. It is for us as the public local representatives and Oireachtas Members to try to ensure that we maintain the pressure on the process, and if there is a critical path to deliver both projects, that it is done in a timely fashion and as soon as possible. I hope the Minister will soon be in a position to give us a clearer timeframe by which this can be delivered.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies for their contributions. It is an unfortunate situation. No one planned for an examinership. In this case the examinership has not been able to deliver on these projects. We will have to re-tender the work. I will seek to have this done as quickly as possible but tendering has to be robust. We are all aware of the obligations in that regard and that it protects all the interests, especially those of students and their parents.

The Midleton work is about 80% complete. The Fermoy project is further down the line, but I have been informed of issues around roof, mechanical and electrical aspects, along with doors and windows. There is significant work to be done in the Fermoy college, notwithstanding its appearance of being closer to completion. There is significant work for the ETB to finalise the design and on the brief that must be completed and tendered for. I am acutely aware of the priority that the Deputies have assigned to this. I feel the same about the situation and we will do everything we can to get this done quickly.