With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 35, 36 and 37 together.
By the second half of 1960, it had become clear that because of the impending resignation on age grounds of many members of the Garda Síochána, the provision of extended and improved training facilities was a matter of great urgency. While it would have been possible to carry out a scheme of reconstruction at the Depot in the Phoenix Park, this would be a major undertaking, and would have involved the provision of a temporary alternative training centre, which obviously would have been a difficult and costly matter. In these circumstances, and in view of the desirability of decentralisation, it was decided to transfer the training centre to Templemore. As the pressure of existing commitments on the professional staff of the Office of Public Works made it impossible for them to handle the project in the time required, it was not possible to follow the normal practice of having the work planned and contracted for by that Office. In the circumstances, a firm of private architects, together with a quantity surveyor and heating and lighting consultants were appointed by the Department of Justice to prepare the necessary plans and specifications, etc., and to supervise the execution of the work.
It was considered that the work could most expeditiously be carried out by means of a contract providing for a schedule of rates, with bills of approximate quantities. This, I am advised, is a type of contract commonly used for, and particularly suited to, a project of the kind involved here, and its adoption ensured the commencement of the scheme with a minimum of delay. Specifications and adequate plans were available at the time tenders were sought, but, in accordance with the invariable practice in all major building contracts, supplementary detailed drawings were prepared for the information and guidance of the contractor as the work progressed.
Based on the lowest acceptable tender received, it was estimated that the total cost of the work, as initially contracted for, would amount to about £385,000, exclusive of architectural, etc., fees, which were estimated at approximately £41,000, made up as follows:—
Architects' fees
|
£24,500
|
Quantity Surveyors' fees
|
11,000
|
Heating and Lighting Consultants' fees
|
5,500
|
|
£41,000
|
The fees were calculated at the minimum rates laid down by the relevant professional associations.
The present estimated cost of the works which have, in the main, been completed amounts to £576,500, exclusive of professional fees.
Of the estimated increase of, approximately, £191,000 over the figure of £385,000 referred to earlier, about £150,000 is due to additional works which had not originally been included in the contract but which, from the initiation of the project, had been in contemplation, and which were, in the final analysis, considered by the Department of Justice to be essential to the provision of a fully-efficient and up-to-date training centre. These works, which were carried out at the rates provided for in the contract, included the provision of a swimming pool, open and covered handball-alleys, basketball courts, rifle-range, bedding-store, driving school, etc. The balance of £41,000 is accountable to increases in wages and the prices of materials, which occurred subsequent to the placing of the contract, and to variations in the extent of the work actually executed—for example, on the structure's being opened up, it was found that ceiling joists on the top floors were defective and had to be replaced, spine walls to stairs had to be rebuilt, and brick arches at landings had to be replaced in concrete. A price variation clause is, of course, a standard provision in building contracts.
As the amount of the professional fees payable in respect of a contract is calculated by reference to the final cost of the work, the initial figure of £41,000 has to be increased. It is now estimated that the appropriate figure will be in the region of £60,000, made up as follows:
Architects' fees
|
£35,000
|
Quantity Surveyors' fees
|
15,000
|
Heating and Lighting Consultants' fees
|
10,000
|
|
£60,000
|
The exact amount cannot, however, be given until the final account for the project has been settled.
While the total expenditure involved may seem high, I am satisfied that, taking into account the amount of work which had to be carried out, it was in no way excessive or unreasonable, and when regard is had to the benefits accruing from the decentralisation of such an important branch of the State service as the Garda Training Depot, it cannot be disputed that the cost of the scheme is justified in the extreme.
I might, perhaps, add that it has been estimated that, at a minimum, the present-day cost of providing new accommodation and facilities similar to those which are now available in Templemore would be of the order of £800,000, exclusive of professional fees and the cost of a suitable site.