Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 182: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will explain public private partnership; the way it will operate in relation to education and specifically in relation to the issue of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15529/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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A Public Private Partnership is an arrangement between the public and private sectors to provide public services or infrastructure. It is recognised that both the public sector and the private sector have experience and skills in dealing with particular situations and PPP aims to tap into each of these sources and to allocate project risks to the party best able to manage them. The Government's Public Private Partnership Programme from 2006 to 2009 was announced in 2005 with €300m being provided for the provision of 23 new post-primary school and 4 new primary schools. €270m was allocated for the provision of 17 new Third Level projects in 9 locations. Under the NDP 2007-2013 and further €565m was allocated for the provision of PPP projects at first, second and third levels. A number of individual projects are procured together in a Bundle.

My Department is responsible for all aspects of the assessment and approval of project bundles, including the decision to procure as a PPP, the setting of project budgets, output specifications and other service requirements and agreeing the Public Sector Benchmark (compiled with the assistance of the NDFA). Once my Department has carried out these functions and handed the Bundle over to the NDFA, the NDFA will procure the project and will hand the bundle back to the Department after construction is complete and the schools operational. The indicative timeframe for the delivery of a PPP schools currently stands at approximately 4 years for the date the Bundle is announced. To date the Department of Education & Science has completed five post-primary schools under the pilot PPP schools. These schools were operational in January 2003, the second PPP project the National Maritime College was completed in October 2004. The Cork School of Music was completed and in operation by September 2007.

A preferred tenderer has been appointed for the 1st bundle of 4 schools in the current PPP programme and it is intended, subject to the completion of the planning process, that these schools will go to construction later this year. Pre procurement work on the 2nd Bundle is nearing completion and it is intended that this Bundle will be handed to the NDFA for procurement shortly. While the accommodation provided in a PPP school is similar to a school that is provided by traditional procurement there are differences in the operation of the school building post construction. Under the terms of a Project Agreement, cleaning, caretaking and maintenance of the schools are the responsibility of the PPP Operator for a period of 25 years. The PPP Operator is paid for these services by means of a Unitary Payment and a portion of that payment is based on the services being provided in a satisfactory manner. I intend announcing further PPP project bundles during the year and the school referred to by the Deputy will be considered in this context.