Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

92. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the progress of the school building programme in respect of the six schools affected by the collapse of a company (details supplied); if his attention has been drawn to the alarming lack of progress on the replacement of the contractor; the impact this has had on the schools concerned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22306/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

TheSchools Bundle 5 PPP Project encompasses five school buildings and one further education college across four sites in Bray, Wexford, Carlow and Kells. Under the PPP arrangement, the PPP company, InspiredSpaces, had a construction works contract with Carillion Construction Ltd, which further sub-contracted to Sammon Contracting Ireland Ltd (SCIL).

When Carillion Construction Ltd went into liquidation, their works contract was terminated. DIF, one of the shareholders in the PPP company, tendered for a replacement contractor for the completion of the buildings. DIF was working towards the delivery of all school buildings by the coming school year. However, the appointment of an examiner to SCIL last month has added complexity to this process and it is not yet clear the extent to which this will impact on achievement of that timeline.

Officials from my Department and the NDFA are maintaining an open channel of communication with school representatives. In that respect, and while our clear focus remains on getting the new schools delivered as quickly as possible, the Department has been engaging with the relevant school authorities in relation to contingency plans to mitigate against any issues arising from delays in the delivery of the new school buildings. The specific contingency arrangements depend on the enrolment projections and, where required, additional accommodation options available for each school.