Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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515. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the contract between the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB) and Castlethorn Construction to build the Adamstown community college and adjoining sports hall in Lucan in County Dublin was a public private partnership; the details of the original funding agreement between her Department, the DDLETB and the contractor; the amount of central government funding agreed for this project; the portion of this funding that has been drawn down to date by the DDLETB, and paid to the contractor; the reason the adjoining sports hall has not been built; her views that the original terms of the contract between the DDLETB and Castlethorn have been breached; if penalties were incurred, and if so, by whom; the efforts she is making to ensure the completion of this project; and her views that it is acceptable that a school, as large as this, has been left for such a long time with no adequate sports facility. [40229/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I can confirm that Castlethorn Construction was not contracted to build Adamstown Community College. The construction of the school building was funded by my Department separately and it was procured under a traditional (design and build) contract, as opposed to a public private partnership arrangement.

In relation to agreements in place with Castlethorn Construction, the Department provided funding to then Co. Dublin VEC (now Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board) to acquire the site for the school. The site acquisition contract specified that the vendor (Castlethorn Construction) agreed to construct the community centre and to facilitate access by the school to the centre at certain defined periods during school terms.

Due to circumstances outside of my Department's control, the community centre was not delivered by Castlethorn Construction.

Officials from my Department have engaged with Castlethorn Construction in relation to the matter. Representatives from Castlethorn Construction have recently put forward a proposal to my Department which is currently under consideration.

Officials from my Department are also liaising with officials from South Dublin County Council and Dublin Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board. I can assure the Deputy that the matter is actively being progressed with a view to obtaining an acceptable outcome.