Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 617: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of companies that were invited to tender for the bundle of schools that included the two new primary schools for Gorey, County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22162/09]

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 618: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will list the tender prices of unsuccessful bidders for the school bundle which included the two new primary schools at Gorey, County Wexford and itemise in full detail the tender price by the successful bidder, with a breakdown by school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22163/09]

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 619: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of other occasions a company (details supplied) has been contracted by his Department to build schools for the past 20 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22164/09]

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 620: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if a company (details supplied) has done previous construction work for his Department; if so, if he is satisfied that all sub-contractors were fully paid for that same 20 year period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22165/09]

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 621: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the contract price agreed between companies (details supplied) for the four primary schools in the bundle which included the two new primary schools in Gorey, County Wexford; the price per school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22166/09]

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 622: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if a company (details supplied) was contracted by the State to build other facilities on behalf of the State; the unsuccessful bidders and their prices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22167/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 617 to 622, inclusive, together.

A total of 12 companies tendered for the bundle of schools (which included the two primary schools for Gorey) under the rapid delivery programme in 2008. Information on the tender prices of the unsuccessful tenders is commercially sensitive and it would be inappropriate of me to release such information as it could undermine future tender competitions. A school building project is a complex arrangement of contractual relationships between the client, the main contractor, specialist sub-contractors, domestic sub-contractors, suppliers of materials, suppliers of plant etc. In general all sub-contractors employed on school building projects are employed directly by the Main Contractor or indirectly by the Main Contractor through other sub-contractors.

It is a matter for all sub-contractors to agree terms and conditions and a schedule of payments with the Main Contractor or with the entity with whom they are in contract. The Department has no control over sub-contracts entered into by the main contractor and holds no information relating to same. There is no contractual relationship between my Department and any of the sub-contractors engaged on the projects to which the Deputy refers. As such, I am satisfied that no responsibility or power rests with my Department to resolve contractual issues relating to those sub-contractors.

Regarding the number of contracts placed by the Department with the company in question and detailed information on each tender process, information relating to the tender and award process for projects is held on individual project files. There is no centralised database where such information is recorded. It would take an inordinate amount of administrative resources to examine each individual file to obtain the information requested.

It should be noted, also, that the vast majority of contracts for both major and minor school's capital projects are between individual school authorities and main contractors and are placed following a public tendering process operated by the school authorities in conjunction with their design team. Generally, my Department is the contracting authority only in those cases where the property/site is in the ownership of the Minister for Education & Science.