Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

In 2004 the Comptroller and Auditor General published a report on public-private partnerships. One case concerned a contract for school buildings awarded to a British private development company, Jarvis, which was not the lowest bidder. The company's tender was 13% above the cost at which the Department of Education and Science would design, build and maintain an equivalent number of schools. Although this was a multimillion euro, 25-year contract the company has withdrawn after five years which jeopardises public-private partnership schemes under the Department of Education and Science.

Prior to Christmas the Minister for Education and Science indicated in this House that a new tranche of schools was to be developed under a similar project to other contractors. We are told the schools involved in the Jarvis contract will not be affected because a German company has taken over the contracts. If the original company went out of business through financial difficulties there must have been shortcomings in the maintenance of the schools involved in the intervening period. Now that the resources are readily available internally, we should seek them in order to complete schools. While we know how scarce resources were for the provision, upkeep and reconstruction of schools, 13% of additional funds in a multimillion euro contract were given to this company.