Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House.

Marie Sherlock (Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. We have previously spoken about Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square and yet again unfortunately this morning we are back to talk about this school because there is another delay. Last year we were told by the Department of Education that the sod would be turned in November 2021. That has not happened. At the start of November, we were dubiously told that stage 2b would be complete by the first week of December and that the tender stage would commence in January. This week we learn that the design stage will not be completed until the end of January, tenders will not go out until the end of March and the sod could be turned next September. There is great frustration at this stage. Anyone who is familiar with this project would have to be sceptical about those timelines. This school has been waiting for 17 years for a new building.

I have a list of all the primary schools in this country in temporary accommodation, either prefabs or private rented accommodation. There are approximately 418 schools on that list. Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire is fifth longest in private rented accommodation on that list. According to the list, the school moved into its temporary accommodation in 2006. I understand it moved into its current building some time before that, but we will go with the Department's list. The list of schools in private accommodation shows that, of the five on the list from 2006 and before, there is a 42-pupil school, a 29-pupil school, an 80-pupil school and a 113-pupil school. Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire has 194 pupils. It is a medium-sized school yet, year after year the Department sees fit to keep this school in private rented accommodation, stump up €300,000 for a building that is decrepit and only made work by the amazing and wonderful efforts of the school staff and the entire school community.

Today, I hope to get assurances and cast-iron guarantees from the Minister of State with regard to how this project will commence. She might say that some of this is out of the Department's hand and that it is with the design team. That is not good enough. What is the Department doing to ensure the design team will deliver on time? What measures are being taken to ensure that whatever payments are being made to the design team will include a fine if it does not deliver on time? With regard to the tender process, originally we were told that the Department would take approximately four weeks to turn around the opening up of the tender process from when it received the detailed design. We now hear it could take eight weeks or more. What is the Department going to do to assure the school and the school community that it will prioritise and move as quickly as possible on the opening up of the tender process?

Finally I understand that in correspondence from the design team that working from home has been given as an excuse regarding a potential slippage in the new timeline set out. We are now 20 months into the pandemic. It is simply unacceptable that anybody would use working from home as an excuse for slippage in timelines. What assurances will the Department give that the school will receive the utmost priority within the Department? Being frank, it has not received that attention up until now and the frustration among the school community, the parents and staff is at an all-time high. We need positive news from the Department.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for comprehensively setting out the status of the school building project for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, and her views. I am sure that she will appreciate that I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley, and I will convey the Senator's contribution to the Minister.

The Senator will be aware of the fact that this project is included in the Department's construction programme that is being delivered under the national development plan. The project brief is to provide a new 16-classroom school on a site that has been purchased by the Department from Dublin City Council. The new school building will abut and be directly connected to the listed building on the neighbouring site that is occupied by Youth Work Ireland, YWI.

I understand that there was a meeting between Youth Work Ireland and the Department's technical teams on 5 October on the relocation of an air vent and replacement of the existing YWI boiler room. Youth Work Ireland undertook to revert with a worked-up proposal, including costs, on or before 22 October. This proposal was delayed as YWI's technical team awaited confirmation from Bord Gáis concerning the proposal but it was received last week. The Department has approved this proposal in principle and has agreed to cover the costs to relocate the boiler room.

I understand that there are ongoing conversations with the school on a regular basis. The Department met representatives of the school on 4 November and provided an outline of the programme and timelines. The Department also met the full design team on 10 November and provided an update to the school thereafter. The design team has now committed to submitting the stage 2(b) report to the Department by the end of January 2022 with a target date to commence tendering for a main contractor by the end of quarter 1 of 2022. The target to have a main contractor start construction would then be by the end of quarter 3 of 2022.

Required statutory approvals need to be lodged to give effect to amendments to a right of way agreed with Youth Work Ireland. It would be preferable if the lodging of these planning applications by the Department's design team and Youth Work Ireland happened in close proximity. The Department's design team lodged its application on Tuesday, 7 December. The Department and its design team will continue to liaise with Youth Work Ireland regarding the lodgement of its planning application.

Agreed changes on the right of way will also need to be given effect in a formal legal document. The Department has commenced the process to progress this through Office of the Chief State Solicitor in parallel with the completion of stage 2(b) and the tender process to appoint a construction contractor. The Office of the Chief State Solicitor will also liaise with the legal representative of Youth Work Ireland to progress this process.

In November, the school submitted an application for an emergency works grant on electrical wiring in its current building. I understand that the school has been approved for the necessary funding, under the emergency works scheme, to carry out the works.

I have noted what the Senator said in terms of the fact that the Gaelscoil is a medium-sized school with 194 pupils, that it has one of the longest waiting times and is placed fifth on the waiting list.

I understand and appreciate her comments around working from home. I am not sure where that comment came from but I will pass it on to the Minister.

I hear the Senator's frustration in respect of this matter, in particular the fact that it is 17 years since this school was promised and the fact that a sod was due to be turned and so commence building in November 2021.

I have outlined the information that the Department has given me in terms of the steps that are involved. I understand that there is a further meeting due to take place with the school on Tuesday, 14 December, which is relatively soon. I hope that things will progress at a pace from now on.

Marie Sherlock (Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I am conscious that she has had to convey the situation of the Department when the matter does not strictly come within her remit.

I am more worried now on foot of this written response from the Department than I was when I made my opening contribution. First, the reply seeks to pin the delays on the negotiations with Youth Work Ireland. It is very clear that the issue with Youth Work Ireland concerned 1% of the site, so the design team could easily have worked on the remaining 99% of the site. There has been a failure in this response to deal with the reality of the situation, which is that there has been a failure to progress the bulk of the design for the school building.

Second, we have not heard an assurance with respect to the timelines or how the Department proposes to work with the design team and, indeed, the tender process. I ask the Minister of State to seek assurances from the Minister, Deputy Foley, in that regard because that is what the school needs right now.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I note the comments made by the Senator and I will relay them to the Minister.

To be clear about the tender process, there is a target date to commence tendering for a main contractor by the end of quarter 1 of 2022. That will be over the next few months.

I appreciate that there have been delays and I have outlined some of the reasons for the delays. Things need to progress at speed now. I will convey the comments that the Senator made about the negotiations with Youth Work Ireland.

There are and have been a number of conversations with the school. The next meeting is on 14 December where I hope that things can be collaborated on, particularly the synchronisation of the rights of way and planning applications. Everything should be done in parallel rather than sequentially, which means that things can happen at a pace.