Emergency Works Scheme Applications

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 February 2017

Thursday, 9 February 2017

Ceisteanna (110)

Michael McGrath

Ceist:

110. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 94 of 18 January 2017, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the consulting engineers acting for the school (details supplied) are strongly of the view that all of the works proposed are required in order to address the health and safety issues and that scaling back the works is not a viable option; if he will arrange for the necessary funding to be made available to the school to have these works carried out as they cannot await the summer works scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6567/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

As I outlined to the Deputy in my response to Parliamentary Question No. 94 of 18 January 2017, the school in question applied for funding under my Department’s Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) for extensive works to the roof of its building. A project of this scale is outside the Terms and Conditions of the EWS Scheme.

It remains my Department's position that, consistent with the EWS terms and conditions and the finite funding available under that Scheme, it would be willing to consider a scaled back EWS application to shore up the roof and to deal with the most urgent Health & Safety issues arising pending a Summer Works Scheme application, which is the appropriate mechanism for works of the type and scale involved.  My Department wrote to the school on 16 January, 2017, outlining the position. To date it has received no response.