Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 2 May 2001

Vol. 535 No. 2

Written Answers - Schools Building Projects.

Derek McDowell

Question:

116 Mr. McDowell asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the role of public private partnerships in the provision of school buildings; the details on the specific projects which he has commissioned on this basis; and the advantages of this approach to the provision of school buildings. [12312/01]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods):

I am pleased that my Department is participating in the Government's programme on public private partnerships – PPP – and specifically in the pilot programme of infrastructure projects.

I believe that PPPs have significant potential in relation to developing new ideas on school design which arise from the output-based approach, testing value for money over the lifecycle of the projects, making better use of educational facilities outside of school hours, allowing educationalists to concentrate on their core functions and optimising allocation of risk in areas such as planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of facilities.

To date, my Department has included three projects in the Government's PPP pilot programme. These are the Cork School of Music, five new post-primary schools in Ballincollig, Clones, Dunmanway, Shannon and Tubbercurry which are grouped as one project, and the proposed National Maritime College, Ringaskiddy, Cork.

Following an EU tendering process, I announced the selection of a preferred bidder for the Cork School of Music and the post-primary schools project, on 27 March last. The schools are due for completion in September 2002, and the Cork School of Music in September 2003.

A project notice for the National Maritime College was dispatched to the Official Journal of the European Communities, OJEC, on 6 April 2001 and the project was also advertised in Irish national newspapers on the 11 April. It is anticipated that the college will be available for use in the last quarter of 2003.

All of the above projects are being developed on a design, build, finance and operate basis. The educational management of all three facilities will remain with the existing education authorities.