Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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521. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the new building works for a school (details supplied); if she will provide assurances that works will proceed as a matter of urgency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56975/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The large-scale capital project at the school referred to by the Deputy is assigned to my Department’s ADAPT programme. ADAPT is an acronym for Accelerated Delivery of Architectural Planning and Tendering.

Prior to the commencement of the main contract, necessary enabling works under the contract are progressing on site for a number of months. The Enabling works contractor completed the ground works for the ESB ducting in October 2023, and remaining works for the diversion of the ESB overhead wires will be co-ordinated by ESB Networks Ireland and the Design Team.

There are two individual ESB line installation works to be completed at the new site - the first was completed in December 2023, we are currently awaiting the works programme from the ESB in relation to the second line, the HSE issued the signed and sealed SWA1 (deed of transfer easement for underground cables) to the ESB 9th January 2024.

On completion of the ESB works, the enabling works Contractor will have approximately 1 weeks’ work remaining to make the site safe and to decant from the site to enable the main contractor to commence.

The Invitation to Tender issued in April 2023 and the tenders to build the new school itself were received from contractors in late September 2023. Recent experience has shown that a Tender stage can take between 8-12 months from the initial Invitation to Tender, subject to no issues arising.

The Tender Report was received from the Kolbe Board of Management and the Design Team is currently under review. Only when the Letter of Acceptance has issued is there a contract in place and all the contract terms and conditions apply.

However, in this particular instance it will not be possible to issue the Letter of Acceptance until the enabling works contract is completed and unencumbered possession of the site is available to the incoming contractor for the new school building.

Under Project Ireland 2040, the Department of Education is investing well in excess of €5 billion over the period 2021 to 2025, to add capacity and develop and upgrade school facilities across the country for the almost one million students and over 100,000 staff that learn and work in our schools every day.

The Department has a strong track record of delivery of school building projects and this was achieved again in 2023 notwithstanding the wider construction sector environment of high inflation, labour shortages and supply chain issues.