Results 6,181-6,200 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Commissions of Investigation Data (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: My Department has not incurred any expenditure in 2018 in carrying out commissions of investigations and State inquiries as recommended by the Independent Review Mechanism or any State Tribunals.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Contractors (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: Pre 2014, the contractor and the contractor’s design team were fully responsible for ensuring quality and for certifying that the buildings were being constructed in accordance with the works requirements and building regulations. Under current regulations, an independent Assigned Certifier is also appointed.The Assigned Certifier gathers and relies upon the ancillary certificates...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Data (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 370 to 372, inclusive, together. The decision to commence a wider programme of structural assessments of the 42 schools constructed by the company in question was taken following the identification of structural issues at Phase 1 of Ardgillan Community College and at two schools in Tyrrelstown. The structural assessment programme was project-managed by KSN PM...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Data (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: The Department's priority has been the implementation of precautionary measures to facilitate safe reoccupation of schools this week. Following structural assessments, it was deemed that precautionary measures were required across 22 schools (with a further school building, Phase 1 of Ardgillan Community College, remaining closed). Further detailed structural investigations will be...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Accommodation Provision (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as ucht an cheist seo a ardú. Aontaím léi go bhfuil an-tábhacht ag baint leis an ábhar seo. I thank the Senator for raising this matter as it gives me the opportunity to clarify the current position relating to my Department's plans to meet the demand for school places in the Fingal area and in St. Joseph's secondary...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Accommodation Provision (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: I absolutely take the important issues the Senator has raised very seriously. We have to plan for the future. The context for planning does not relate only to schools but to housing. Where there will be more housing, there will be additional pressures. As part of the ongoing conversation regarding where people are going to live and go to school and how they will travel to school, I take...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: Ní raibh an Seanadóir ró-mhall. Bhí sé ceart go leor. I thank him for raising this matter and giving me an opportunity to update the House on the current position regarding the provision of a permanent school building for Ballinteer Educate Together national school, which is a co-educational school under the patronage of Educate Together. The brief for the project...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: I reiterate my disappointment at the delay. A school community does not just arrive but, rather, results from a campaign involving many people who have expectations and hopes for the project. When a roadblock is encountered, it can be very difficult. I will ensure that there is contact between my officials and the chief executive of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. Drawing on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Closures: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: Gabhaim buíochas as ucht chuireadh an Chathaoirligh go dtí an coiste seo inniu. Tá an t-ábhar seo iontach tábhachtach. Táim ag dúil go mór leis an díospóireacht le baill den choiste. I appreciate the opportunity to update the committee today on the structural assessments undertaken in 42 schools constructed by Western Building Systems and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Closures: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: That is no problem. There will be specific questions I will not be in a position to answer but I will be happy to obtain the information sought. If there are elements I miss out on, Mr. Hubert Loftus will be more familiar with them and their history. Let me deal first with the issues raised by Deputy Thomas Byrne. I agree with him that a number of players are involved; it is not just...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Closures: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: The clerk of works is ensuring the work continues. Obviously, there is vigilance. If there is a good clerk of works on site, he or she will be taking photographs and doing all the necessary work. In the past two years, I was speaking to the clerk of works on a school project in Donegal. He was telling me that every day he was on site he was taking photographs and being vigilant. The work...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Closures: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: One of the questions Deputy Thomas Byrne asked was how much a fire safety audit cost. I do not have that figure to hand, but I am happy to get it for him. The Deputy also mentioned the building regulations. There are not just fines; there is also imprisonment for breaches of the regulations. All of this will be taken into account as we pursue every possible channel to ensure-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Closures: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: I agree with Deputy Catherine Martin that it has created a lot of worry and concern and been a body blow to individual communities that were very much part and parcel of ensuring the school projects came to fruition in the first place. I agree completely with her assertion that it is a worrying time, but safety has been at the heart of our deliberations. I remember that when the problem...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Closures: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: I presume the Department was liaising at every stage with fire safety personnel. Mr. Loftus might come in on what happened before I was in situ, but I know that, once the concern about a potential structural weakness emerged in late August, a team and a programme of work were set in place. The potential concern emerged in Tyrrelstown. Because Ardgillan community college was being assessed...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Closures: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: That is correct. The reason there are precautionary measures is that there is an ultra cautious approach to the 19 schools. Initial assessments are that there is a suspicion of a lack of wall ties. There is no immediate danger but the judgment was made that there is an issue with structural weakness. For example, there is a three school campus in Ashbourne and the total length of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Closures: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: I take the point about whether it is a big programme or an extension. This is an area where I want to ensure we have proper procedures and vigilance in place. I have been comparing it with Northern Ireland and the UK. They have a heavily resourced building control unit in their local authorities. Obviously then it is a question of Exchequer funding because if one tries to replicate that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Closures: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: My job and the job of everybody else here is to build up that trust again. How we do that is the foremost question on our minds. I answered the question about the partial use of the ground floor. We are expecting to move onto the first and second floors in a matter of weeks. Eiscir Riada in Lucan is a two-storey building so we will be seeking to do that on the first floor and also to do...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Closures: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: As far as I know I am due to be in the Dáil at 5.30 p.m. I have already had a discussion with my officials on what happens about lost days. There is a reconfiguration option but obviously that is led by the teachers and the school. That is a conversation I am happy to have. What was the Deputy's second question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Closures: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: Sorry, the second question was about a Supplementary Estimate.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Closures: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (6 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: We do not have a costing. We do not even have a costing for the temporary remedial work over the last two weeks. Obviously, I will have to deal with that. I will also be talking to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, about treating this as an extreme measure. I am treating it as a very extreme measure. At the same time our first port of call is accountability...