Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 May 2023
260. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education the current position in respect of the payment of instalments to builders who have contracts for the building of new schools, in view of the fact there appears to have been a delay over the past three months in the making of such payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21043/23]
View answerThere has been no delay in the making of payments to contractors in respect of contractual obligations for projects that are at construction. These payments continued as normal and within prompt payment guidelines.
As you are aware an agreement was secured with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform to guarantee and support the rollout and continuation of my Department’s ambitious school building programme. The agreement reached on 5th April is facilitating the continued rollout of urgently required school building projects in both mainstream and special education settings, including the 58 projects that were temporarily paused due to capital funding pressures.
Officials from my Department have updated each of the 58 schools in relation to the formal arrangements and next steps in respect of the delivery of their individual projects.
My Department has a proven track record of delivery, with over 180 projects completed last year within a challenging construction sector environment of high inflation, labour shortages and supply chain issues. This year alone, in excess of 300 school building projects are currently under construction, including 40 new school buildings and 260 projects at existing schools. The current status of all projects are listed on a county by county basis at www.gov.ie and is updated on a regular basis to reflect their progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction.
