Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)

I am flabbergasted that a school project could be going on that long. From my background as a quantity surveyor working in construction, there is something amiss. We will get to the bottom of it.

I am giving the Senator this answer on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth. Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire is an all-Irish national school serving the heart of Dublin city and is currently located in rented accommodation in Parnell Square. The project brief is for the construction of a 16-classroom primary school on a brownfield site purchased from the city council.The Minister and the Department of Education and Youth are fully committed to ensuring the completion of a new school for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire as soon as possible. The site is in an area of archaeological interest and abuts a protected structure. A number of issues arose on site early in the project, which is not unusual, given the nature of a brownfield city centre site, but this led to a delay. The issues included several services on site, for example, electrical lines and services related to the adjacent Luas lines, which had not been apparent until excavation began. Throughout this project, the Department has actively engaged with the design team and contractor to discuss matters and resolve issues as they arise to reduce any risk to the programme, but these unforeseen matters led to a delay in the early stages of the project.

In response to this, the Department sanctioned the appointment of project managers last year to minimise delays on the programme and ensure clear lines of communication were in operation. Good progress was initially made following the project managers' intervention, with significant visible progress being made on the structure. Since Christmas, however, progress has slowed significantly. Departmental officials have ongoing engagement with the contractor and the design team to resolve this issue.

However, the impact of this lower level of progress on the project in quarter 1 of 2025 necessitated a conciliation hearing to try to reach agreement on a solution to ensure the earliest possible delivery of the school, which is being delivered under the Government’s standard public works contract. A conciliation process was entered into by both parties on the project and, in accordance with standard practice and contractual requirements, is of a confidential nature. A temporary pause on works for now, under the suspension of works provisions of the contract, provides an opportunity to consider outcomes from the conciliation process and the best way forward for completion of the project. The notice of suspension of works was communicated to the contractor on 23 May in accordance with the provisions of the contract.