Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 November 2018
133. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to make public the information relating to building inspections that were carried out at a school (details supplied) in recent weeks; and his further plans to carry out necessary repairs. [48472/18]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, my Department arranged for structural assessments to be undertaken at 42 schools following the identification of significant structural issues at Ardgillan Community College in Balbriggan during an assessment undertaken by a structural engineer at the school on 19 October 2018.
Proportionate precautionary measures including the erection of external fencing and protective decks were recommended in 19 schools including the school referred to by the Deputy.
Further more detailed reviews at these schools will be carried out in the near future to ascertain the full extent of the issues and to develop a plan for remediation of these issues.
My Department has maintained contact with the authorities of all 42 schools including the school referred to by the Deputy and they will be kept fully informed of any further developments.
I wish to assure the Deputy that at all times, the Department’s priority is the health and safety of the pupils and staff using the schools.
