asked the Minister for Education what is the position with regard to the construction of a new national school at Milford, County Donegal, and whether in view of the grave necessity for a new school he will expedite the project.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Milford (Donegal) School.
I am informed by the Commissioners of Public Works that the preparation of detailed working drawings and a specification for the proposed new school at Milford has been completed. Bills of quantities have yet to be prepared before tenders can be invited. Because of the fact, however, that the commissioners' existing contractual commitments in respect of expenditure of grants on school building and improvement in the current financial year will fully exhaust the amount provided in the Estimates under Vote 9, it is not possible to say at present when the commissioners may be in a position to invite tenders.
Are we to take it from the Minister's reply that for this year at any rate this school is out? Am I clear on that—that it will not be commenced during the current financial year?
I have no hope at all that it will.
Arising out of that, the Minister has stated that they were not getting to a position to invite tenders. Will the same thing happen in regard to this school in Donegal, that when the tenders have been invited, they will all be thrown out because of the financial situation and then the contractors will be put to the expense of retendering?
That is an entirely separate question.
I did not hear the opening words which probably were significant.
Yesterday, the Minister told me in regard to a school in Louth that the tenders that had been invited had been examined but that the building of the school was being postponed and that some time in the future they would reinvite tenders. That will involve double expense for the contractors. Will the contractors in respect of this school be told when they are being asked to tender that the tenders will be subject to being thrown out and other tenders invited from them?
The Deputy is rather complicated in what he is endeavouring to convey. If the Deputy will read the answer that I gave him yesterday he will realise that there is no acceptable tender before the Office of Public Works at the present time, and that the reason it will be necessary to invite other tenders in respect of that school is that there is no tender there at the present moment that the commissioners could accept. A tender was accepted, and the individual who tendered backed out of it.
That was not stated in the answer.
I answered the question the Deputy put down and if the Deputy wants any information with regard to what happens in regard to the acceptance or otherwise of tenders, I have no function in either the consideration or the acceptance of tenders. I gave the information that the Deputy asked for and the position with regard to that school mentioned yesterday is that tenders will have to be invited again.