Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 May 2018
75. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the schools involved in the bundle of five that are currently being constructed under a public private partnership PPP process will be available for the new school year; if not, the contingency plans being put in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22329/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Schools Bundle 5 PPP Project encompasses five school buildings and one further education college across four sites in Bray, Wexford, Carlow and Kells. Under the PPP arrangement, the PPP company, InspiredSpaces, had a construction works contract with Carillion Construction Ltd, which further sub-contracted to Sammon Contracting Ireland Ltd (SCIL).
When Carillion Construction Ltd went into liquidation, their works contract was terminated. DIF, one of the shareholders in the PPP company, tendered for a replacement contractor for the completion of the buildings. DIF was working towards the delivery of all school buildings by the coming school year. However, the appointment of an examiner to SCIL last month has added complexity to this process and it is not yet clear the extent to which this will impact on achievement of that timeline.
While our clear focus remains on getting the new schools delivered as quickly as possible, the Department has been engaging with the relevant school authorities in relation to contingency plans to mitigate against any issues arising from delays in the delivery of the new school buildings. The specific contingency arrangements depend on the enrolment projections and, where required, additional accommodation options available for each school.
