Niall Collins (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 93: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if the MacQuarie Partnership will be discharging the creditors of a company (details supplied) for the amounts owed to them for products supplied to the two school building projects in Athboy and Kildare; if not, will another company (details supplied) be discharging the amounts owed to the creditors, as they have now undertaken to complete the building of these schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43603/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Athboy Community School and Kildare Town Community School are included in the 2nd bundle of primary/post-primary schools being provided under my Department's PPP programme. The other schools in the bundle are Bantry Community College and Gaelscoil Bantry, Co. Cork, Abbeyfeale Community College, Co. Limerick and Wicklow Town Community College. Following an international tender process, the Macquarie Partnerships for Ireland (MPFI) consortium was awarded the contract for the design, construction and maintenance of the schools. MPFI in turn appointed a joint-venture comprising of the two companies referred to by the Deputy as their Design and Construction partner.

Under the terms of the contract, it is for MPFI to manage any issues which arise within the consortium and its related sub-contractors and, in doing so, to use the normal procedures and practices in accordance with the law as would be the case in any other normal commercial transaction.

As the Deputy is aware one of the companies in question is now in liquidation and the appropriate course of action is for, sub-contractors to raise any claims they may have with MPFI or with the liquidator appointed.

In the circumstances, I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that my Department is not in a position to interfere in relation to the matters you have raised but I can assure you the NDFA is working very closely with MPFI to ensure that it performs all of its obligations appropriately.