Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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46. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to pursue legal action against a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49542/18]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, over the course of the mid-term break my Department undertook structural assessments on all 42 school buildings constructed by Western Building Systems since 2003 following the identification of significant structural issues at Ardgillan Community College in Balbriggan during an assessment undertaken by a structural engineer at the school on 19 October.  The safety of school students and staff has been and will continue to be, my Department's overriding priority.

The summary outcome of the structural assessments conducted across the 42 schools is as follows:

- 19schools cleared to open in full without any precautionary works

- 19schools enabled to open in full following external precautionary measures in the form of fencing around all or part of the building and protective decking

-3schools enabled to open, initially at ground floor level only, following the implementation of both internal and external precautionary measures.  This relates to two schools in Tyrrelstown and Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada in Lucan.

-1building (Phase 1 of Ardgillan Community College) closed

Further detailed structural investigations will be required to determine the nature and scale of the permanent remediation works required across all schools.  

My Department had already, through the Chief State Solicitor’s Office (CSSO), initiated legal proceedings against this company with regard to four school buildings that had presented deficiencies with regard to fire safety.  My Department is now engaging with the CSSO in light of the structural issues recently identified in the 42 WBS schools.

It is the Department’s intention to pursue the company, using all available contractual and legal channels, for the cost of implementing precautionary measures and remediation works arising from the structural assessments.  Officials in my Department have initiated discussions with the Chief State Solicitor’s Office, in this regard.