Vol. 537 No. 2
383 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will clarify the situation regarding the future employment circumstances of non-teaching staff where two primary schools are being amalgamated and the new school is being provided under the public private partnership arrangement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15591/01]
My Department is participating in the Government's public private partnership – PPP – pilot programme. One of the PPP projects is a bundle of five post-primary schools located in Dunmanway, Ballincollig, Clones, Shannon and Tubbercurry. The Dunmanway project consists of the amalgamation of Maria Immaculate post-primary school and Coláiste Chairbre. The preferred bidder will design, build, finance, operate and maintain the five schools for 25 years and will receive a unitary payment from the Department for providing the service.
Under the PPP process, the facilities management activities at the five schools will transfer to the operator and existing employees who perform caretaking and cleaning activities will transfer to the private sector under the Acquired Rights Directive (Safeguarding of Employees' Rights on Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations, 1980 and 2000. The project agreement, detailing the operation of the project over the 25 years, which will be signed by my Department and the preferred bidder, requires the transferring employees to be employed on the same or better terms and conditions as those which currently exist.
The Deputy may wish to note that material relating to these PPP projects was sent to the Oireachtas Library by my Department.
