John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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78. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the timeframe for the tender process relative to the completion of school bundle 5; if the subcontractors already involved in the building project and due money for their goods and services will be given automatic inclusion at the original price tendered in a future contract; if subcontractors will be paid the outstanding amount due to them to date; if all new procurement or tendering processes will include clauses to protect the payments due to sub-contractors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25781/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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TheSchools Bundle 5 PPP Project encompasses five school buildings and one further education college across four sites in Bray, Wexford, Carlow and Kells. Following the liquidation of Carillion Construction Ltd, a tender process to identify a replacement contractor for the completion of the buildings is currently at an advanced stage.

The arrangements to put in place a replacement contractor are being managed by the Dutch Infrastructure Fund (DIF), which represents the PPP company, and the Project Funders, in close consultation with the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) and the Department of Education and Skills. The Project Funders have indicated that the pathway forward to completion of the schools will become clearer within the next week or so.

While I appreciate the very difficult situation faced by sub-contractors in the situation described by the Deputy, the Department was not party to the contractual arrangements into which they had entered and does not have any authority to intervene.