Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 March 2019
8. Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress being made on three school projects (details supplied) in County Donegal; the timeline for the delivery of the school buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10651/19]
View answerTá áthas orm deis a fháil inniu chun ceist parlaiminte a chur ar an Aire Oideachais agus Scileanna maidir le scoileanna éagsúla i mo Dháilcheantar, agus Scoil Mhuire i Srath an Urláir, Gaelscoil na gCeithre Máistrí i mbaile Dhún na nGall, agus Scoil na nAingeal i Leitir Ceanainn ach go háirithe. Tá súil agam go mbeidh dea-scéal ag an Aire.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta fá choinne na ceiste. Aontaím leis maidir leis an ábhar seo. Tá sé iontach práinneach. Tá níos mó scoileanna i nDún na nGall ar an bhealach céanna leis na trí scoil atá i gceist. Ba mhaith liom na sonraí seo a leanas a chur ar an taifead. Ar dtús, gabhaim aitheantas do na daoine agus na foirne uilig sna scoileanna éagsúla - Gaelscoil na gCeithre Máistrí, Scoil na nAingeal agus Scoil Mhuire i Srath an Urláir. Mar atá a fhios ag an Teachta, tá Gaelscoil na gCeithre Máistrí ag stage 1 den architectural planning process. Nuair a bheidh na rudaí sin déanta, táim sásta go mbeidh sé ag dul ar aghaidh go dtí an chéad chéim eile de na forbairtí. Nuair a bheidh na nithe sin socraithe, beidh an togra ag dul ar aghaidh le pleanáil costais. Beidh ullmhúchán de dhíth fá choinne na socruithe ina dhiaidh sin. Bhí mé i Scoil na nAingeal i Leitir Ceanainn mí ó shin agus chas mé leis an fhoireann uilig. Tá siad iontach sásta leis an dul chun cinn atá déanta. Tá an togra sin ag stage 2b. Tá an t-iarratas istigh agus tá athbhreithniú ag dul ar aghaidh i mo Roinn. Tá comhrá ag dul ar aghaidh idir mo Roinn agus an fhoireann design. Tá an fhoireann design ag obair ar an iarratas atá le mo Roinn agus ag labhairt fadúda an chéad chéim eile atá de dhíth. Tá sí ag obair ar na riachtanais úra maidir le near zero energy buildings a tháinig isteach in 2017. Is coinníoll úr a tháinig isteach é sin. Mar shampla, beidh coinníollacha maidir le conservation of fuel and energy faoi na rialacháin fhoirgneamh. Beidh coinníollacha le baint amach maidir leis sin. Tá Scoil Mhuire i Srath an Urláir----
Beidh an tAire ábalta teacht ar ais.
----ag staid 2b, detailed design, fosta. Táim sásta leis an dul chun cinn. B'fhéidir go mbeidh sonraí breise ag teacht amach as an gcéad cheist eile.
Tá súil agam go bhfanfaidh Teachta Gallagher laistigh den am.
Cinnte go bhfanfaidh. I thank the Minister for his reply. We need to progress work on St. Mary's national school in Stranorlar. That school was in the capital programme in 2011. For some unknown reason it was removed but it is back in the capital programme now, thankfully. We also know that the process of short-listing, the pre-qualification process, has gone on for too long. It needs to come to a conclusion quickly. Regarding pre-qualification for any school in Donegal, we have some very fine contractors in Donegal. I know we have the same interests in this area. Those contractors should be given an opportunity to submit tenders. I hope that will be the situation because all contractors in Donegal should be given a chance.
I flag that for the Minister and ask him to use his influence as the Minister for Education and Skills. He also perhaps wears the Donegal vest. I ask him to consider this issue from that perspective as well. We have also both been to Gaelscoil na gCeithre Máistrí and that project needs to be moved on as quickly as possible, as well as the work at the Little Angels school in Letterkenny. Perhaps the Minister might give us a more detailed update than he has already.
To be clear, St. Mary's national school is in the capital programme. The project will go to tender when pre-qualification is complete, the design team's near zero energy building, NZEB, submission has been considered, any other issues have been raised and consequential amendments to the stage 2b design and tender document have been implemented. That will progress in quarter two. The tender stage normally takes between seven and eight months to complete. I will be ensuring - not through my intervention - that the process is transparent and open and that work will begin in quarter four of this year.
There was also a major focus on this project in March 2018. There were expectations at that time that it would come in at an earlier stage. I am committed to this project and to ensuring it will be completed within 18 months. I cannot, unfortunately, influence the pre-qualification tender process mentioned by Deputy Gallagher. It is not in my gift. It is under the Office of Government Procurement. I do take the Deputy's point, however, on local companies being in a position to tender. It is not in my gift, however, to decide which company is successful. As I said as Gaeilge, I visited the Little Angels school recently. Work there is moving ahead as well. I know the Deputy shares my motivation in ensuring the 13 major capital projects in Donegal advance as quickly as possible.
I appreciate that the Minister cannot influence the tender process. I am not asking him to do that. I ask him to use his good offices to ensure there is a level playing pitch and that contractors in Donegal have an opportunity to tender. The project at Gaelscoil na gCeithre Máistrí needs to progress urgently. We have both been there and seen the prefabs in which the children are being taught. The high standard there is a credit to the teachers, the board of management and the children. I understood the project in Letterkenny was ready to go to tender more than a year ago. It seems to have taken a retrograde step. The Minister also stated there are also other schools besides those mentioned. That is, of course, the case. We will get an opportunity in the coming weeks to raise those schools by way of parliamentary questions as well. I ask the Minister to use his good offices to ensure these projects progress as quickly as possible.
Taking off my ministerial hat, as a Deputy from Donegal I know which side my bread is buttered on to ensure we get a level playing pitch and are treated in a fair manner. I commend the groups, from boards of management to communities, that have been driving these projects. Ultimately, they are the arbiters who decide when a project is needed and aontaím leis an Teachta maidir leis na fadhbanna sa Gaelscoil na gCeithre Maistrí. Those prefabs are not a suitable environment but the commitment to the Irish language and cultural aspect of learning in that school remains. They are on the right road, an bealach ceart.
We are focused on the Little Angels school and will ensure it continues to get priority, as will any of the other major capital projects in the county that need it. It is important to make the point that my motivation to ensure the detailed design is done correctly is that the fixed-price contract, whoever gets these jobs and whenever they get them, contains a price that we stick with and work within. That is the reason why advance detailed design is done before they go to tender.
