Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to problems with employment procedures in some of the contracts awarded for school building projects, in particular the practice of employing workers below the REA rates and below the minimum wage in a school (details supplied) and the action he will take on same. [39579/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The contract for the project to which the Deputy refers, is between the Board of Management and the main contractor. There is no contractual relationship between any of the sub-contractors engaged on this project and either my Department or the Board of Management. 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 as their direct employer.

Where issues arise in respect of the Registered Employment Agreements my Department is of the view that the statutory dispute investigation and resolution mechanisms provided by the State such as the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) and the Rights Commissioner Service of the Labour Relations Commission are the appropriate means by which these issues should be investigated and resolved. The relevant statutory agencies already have the remit, resources, experience and powers in place to investigate and resolve these matters in the most efficient and impartial manner. With regard to the particular school referred to by the Deputy, my Department has checked with the Employers Representative on the project and has been informed that they are not aware of any such issues having arisen.