Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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My Topical Issue relates to Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire and its new school building on Dominick Street in Dublin 1. I stood with Government Ministers and representatives from the school two and a half years ago when the sod was turned in June 2023. The school was supposed to be open in June 2025, but instead we have an empty building site. The Department of education terminated the contract for building works on 24 June 2025. The school community is now about to move to yet another temporary building, having already spent two decades in a temporary dilapidated building. We have zero information about what is happening with the new school building. Four months on from the termination of that contract, what is the Department of education and the Minister of State's plan B? What is the plan to get this long-awaited school built? Will the Department go out to tender? How long will that take? Is the Department confident that it is going to be able to get another contractor in to take up where the original contractor left off? Let us remember that this is a job that is just weeks away from coming to roof level.

With regard to the Department’s role in all of this, it brought in a project manager last year to great fanfare. We were told that KSNPM would sort out all the issues, including the design, the delays and all of that. We are now 16 months on and we have an empty building site. There are serious questions about the money the Department is paying to project managers and everyone else in this project because we have no resolution, despite these project managers being brought in. There is still no solution in sight.

Why was the contract terminated? We have to understand the reasons for the termination, particularly with regard to the cost. Was cost the reason? If it was cost related, as I understand it, the cost this year stood somewhere between €21 million and €25 million. If we go back out to tender again, however, the Department will have little change from €30 million for this school building, which would probably make it one of the most expensive school buildings in the State. The reason for that is because of the mess and incompetence within the Department. There are serious questions for Department officials in how they have handled this. In advance of the election last year, Department officials sat around a table with members of the board of management, parents and elected representatives.

One official in particular, Hubert Loftus, gave a commitment that there would be a report at the end of the year updating the school community about the school building. That report never came. We do not even know if it was ever produced. I have contacted the officials directly seeking that information and we have heard nothing back. We have written to the Minister seeking a meeting about these issues and we have heard nothing back. Notwithstanding the lack of information, what we do know is that this school has been treated disgracefully. Solemn promises were made in November 2023 after those horrendous events, that this long-awaited building would be built. Instead, I have reason to believe that no official from the Department has ever set foot on that building site after the works commenced, even though it is only a five minute walk from the Department of Education and Youth in Marlborough Street.

Will there be a new tender for the completion of the works in Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire? What is the timeline of that tender? When does the Department expect that the school community, the staff, parents and pupils, will get their new school building?

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the issue regarding Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Dominick Street. It gives me the opportunity to outline to the Dáil the current position. The Minister and the Department of Education and Youth are fully committed to delivering a new school building for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire as quickly as possible. Department officials are in constant contact with the school authorities, meeting every number of weeks, and more frequently when required. The Minister and her Department are committed to continuing to support the school. The project is included in the Department’s construction programme and is being delivered under the national development plan as part of the Project Ireland 2040 framework.

A number of issues arose on site at the outset, which is not unusual given the nature of a brownfield city centre site, but this led to a delay. While all parties actively engaged to discuss and resolve the issues and to reduce any risk to the programme, these unforeseen matters did lead to a delay. In response to issues on the site, the Department sanctioned the appointment of a project manager on the project, who has engaged with both the design team and contractor to minimise project delays on the programme and ensure clear lines of communication were in operation with everybody. The appointed project managers developed various proposals and strategies to remedy any issues impacting the programme, realigning the full project team roles, and agreeing the project delivery timelines and goals.

Good progress was initially made following the project manager's intervention in the summer of 2024 up to year end with significant visible progress being made on the structure. Since Christmas however, the project issues have intensified. The Department has had ongoing engagement with the contractor and the design team to try to resolve these issues. As a result, the Department entered into a conciliation hearing to try to reach agreement on a solution to ensure the earliest possible delivery of the school while respecting its statutory obligations. In accordance with standard practice and contractual requirements, the conciliation process is of a confidential nature. A temporary pause on works, under the suspension of works provisions of the contract, provided an opportunity to consider outcomes from the conciliation process. A notice of suspension of works was communicated to the contractor on 23 May 2025 in accordance with the provisions of the contract. During the suspension, the Department carefully considered the best way to deliver a school building while also respecting its statutory obligations. A notice of termination was issued under the contract on 1 July 2025 following careful consideration of the need to ensure compliance with those statutory obligations. Department officials will continue to work extremely closely with the school principal and board of management.

The Deputy will probably we aware that as an interim measure, the Department is providing accommodation more suitable to the current needs of the school nearby in Cathal Brugha Street. The Department was informed that the school has provided information to parents recently in relation to these next steps for the school. Some small-scale refurbishment works at the building will provide a good interim accommodation solution for the school and include teaching and learning spaces for all of the classes, education support and sensory spaces, adequate meeting and office spaces, a staff room, a communal area and access to a safe outdoor space for the students. It is anticipated the works will be completed next month, following which the school will move into the new premises. Finally, let me assure the Deputy that the Minister and the Department are fully committed to delivering a school building for this school as soon as possible.

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for conveying the written response from the Department. A lot of it is a copy-and-paste job of what was circulated in June of this year. To be very clear, there is no update in this response from the Department, that is zero update as to what is happening the new school building. There is no plan B apparent in the Minister of State's response here. For a school to have been told repeatedly that all efforts were going to be made by the Department to get this new school building built, I see no detail in the response, other than bland general assurances that the Department is doing all it can. That is not good enough. The parents, staff and most crucially the pupils of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire deserve answers from the Department. This school has had to move into a second temporary building, its second in 20 years, because of the Department's incompetence in managing this process. There have been commitments that the project will be completed by 2027, given verbally earlier this year. Is the project going to be completed by mid-2027 to allow the school community to move into its new school building in Dominick Street, Dublin 1?

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The Departments sets out to make sure building projects are moved forward. Issues have arisen with this project. The Department, the Minister and ourselves take very seriously the obligations we have in relation to public funding. We are very committed. My understanding clearly is that the Department officials are in contact with the school authorities on a regular basis. I accept the frustration----

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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But the Minister of State is not conveying the information here.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I accept the frustration in relation to this project, which has been ongoing and which is hugely important for the community. I reassure the Deputy that the Department is engaging to find an interim solution first, but the long-term solution to make sure this project is completed. That is the aim and the goal of both the Department and the school authorities. They will work together to try to make sure a resolution is found and the building can commence as soon as possible. There is huge work. All Departments take their responsibility very seriously. Issues arose and the commitment I will give the Deputy is that we will ensure that the engagement will continue between the school authorities and the Department to try to find a resolution as quickly as possible.