Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 16 September 2016
455. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of the 116 schools with major projects under construction or progressing to construction that will have building work commenced in 2016; the number of these projects that will carry a substantial contractual commitment into 2017; the number of projects expected to progress to construction in 2017 and in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25546/16]
View answerOf the 66 projects on site at the start of this year, 24 have now completed construction. The remaining 42 projects remain under construction and will carry a substantial contractual commitment into 2017.
Since the start of this year a total of 50 more major projects have been progressed to construction or are currently authorised to complete the tender process with a view to starting on site before the end of this year. All of these projects will incur the bulk of their expenditure as a contractual commitment under the 2017 capital allocation.
My Department officials will continue to closely monitor expenditure on existing contractual commitments over the coming months and, as funding allows, other projects will be considered for progression through the tender process with a view to starting on site as soon as possible in 2017 and 2018. The contractual commitments for 2017 and 2018 will determine the number of major projects which can be progressed to construction in each of those years.
