Tuesday, 6 Nov 2018

Written Answers Nos. 279-302

Schools Building Projects Status

Ceisteanna (279)

Thomas Byrne

Ceist:

279. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a project (details supplied); and when works will recommence. [44846/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

The current works programme for the project to which the Deputy refers indicates a retendering of the project to pre-qualified contractors towards the end of this year with a view to having a contractor back on site early next year. The project is expected to be completed by June 2020. The works programme remains on track to achieve this.

Departmental Consultations

Ceisteanna (280, 281)

Louise O'Reilly

Ceist:

280. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the location of the submissions made to the consultations undertaken by his Department in each of the past ten years in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44857/18]

Louise O'Reilly

Ceist:

281. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the consultations undertaken by his Department in each of the past ten years in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44875/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 280 and 281 together.

Details of public consultations are not collated in a manner that would allow for a full breakdown of the information requested in respect of the last ten years.

However, an exercise was undertaken recently in respect of consultations undertaken since 2011 and the following link gives details of these consultations and location of submissions where applicable.

If there is a particular consultation which took place prior to 2011 for which the Deputy requires details, officials will endeavour to obtain the information. if provided.

Public Consultations

School Funding

Ceisteanna (282)

Jack Chambers

Ceist:

282. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Education and Skills if sufficient funding will be allocated to a school (details supplied) following a request submitted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44904/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

I am pleased to confirm to the Deputy that the school to which he refers has been approved funding in line with the requested submitted by it.

Third Level Funding

Ceisteanna (283)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

283. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to a national campaign co-ordinated across seven universities regarding a shortfall in funding (details supplied); the steps he is taking to remedy this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44917/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

My Department is working to continue reinvestment in Higher Education building on the progress made in Budgets 2017 & 2018. Current expenditure on higher education, excluding pay restoration and pension provision, will increase by 10% in 2019 compared to 2016. We are adopting a number of measures to address the financial challenges in higher education and to ensure that higher education investment is responsive to key strategic priorities.

Budget 2019 continued the Government’s prioritisation of reinvestment in higher education. Through the budget, we have provided €57 million in additional current funding for the higher education sector. This is in addition to separate funding that has been provided for pay deals and pensions, amounting to an additional €41 million in 2019.

This new current funding will be used to fund the following measures:

- provision for 3,500 additional places in our higher education institutions

- initiatives to support innovation and reward excellence

- investment in teaching and learning capacity, and management and leadership

- 1,000 additional places on Springboard+,

- a new research fund for Institutes of Technology/TUs, and

- an expansion of part-time and flexible learning opportunities.

Budget 2019 also announced a new Human Capital Initiative that will involve investment of €300 million in higher education over the 5 year period from 2020 to 2024, with €60 m being made available in each of those years. This investment will be funded by the National Training Fund surplus. A major objective of the Initiative is to incentivise continued reform and innovation drawing on international best practice through such mechanisms as graduate conversion, accelerated course completion, flexible and blended learning, intensified focus on employability and strengthened linkages and relationships with enterprise. It represents a significant response to projected demographic pressures impacting on the HE sector over the next five years, as highlighted in the Expert Group Report on Future Funding.

The National Training Fund is being reformed to make it more labour market focused, responsive to skills needs and providing additional investment in Further and Higher Education. Progress in implementing reforms has enabled an increase in the NTF levy by 0.1% respectively in both 2018 and 2019, with a commitment to a further 0.1% increase in 2020.

In addition, the Department and the HEA are currently reforming the model by which funding is allocated to our higher education institutions. The independent panel’s review provides a roadmap for transitioning towards a reformed funding model that is more transparent, consistent across higher education institutions, that incentivises actions in key strategic areas such as research and STEM provision, and supports improved accountability while also respecting institutional autonomy. This will ensure that the additional funding that has been made available for higher education is targeted effectively and that institutions are held accountable for how they use public resources.

Schools Building Projects Status

Ceisteanna (284)

Fergus O'Dowd

Ceist:

284. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a project (details supplied); the reason for the delay in relation to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44944/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

The project to provide a new building for the school to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to the local County Council.

The Stage 2(b) report for the project is awaited in my Department. This will be processed as quickly as possible when received so that the project can proceed to the next stage which is tender and construction.

School Accommodation Provision

Ceisteanna (285)

James Lawless

Ceist:

285. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the delay in the building of temporary prefabs at a school (details supplied); the timeline for their construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44945/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department approved grant-aid for rental temporary accommodation in September 2018 to cater for increased enrolments, for the school in question.

The delivery of the project is devolved to the Parton of the school, Kildare Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB).

School Accommodation Provision

Ceisteanna (286)

Charlie McConalogue

Ceist:

286. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to replace a temporary classroom in a school (details supplied) with permanent accommodation; the timeline for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44947/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

I wish to confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has recently submitted an application for funding under my Department's Additional School Accommodation Scheme.

The application will be assessed and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority when this process has been completed.

Student Grants Data

Ceisteanna (287)

Thomas Byrne

Ceist:

287. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of postgraduate grant recipients in 2017 and 2018; the amount spent on postgraduate grants each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44956/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

There were 2,186 postgraduate students in receipt of a student grant for the academic year 2017/18 academic year at a cost of €11.2 m.

SUSI who are the centralised awarding authority are currently assessing applications for the 2018/19 academic year. They have advised that to date there are 2,264 postgraduate students who have been awarded a grant.

Schools Building Contractors

Ceisteanna (288)

Thomas Byrne

Ceist:

288. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if it is the practice that his Department issues a final substantial completion certificate with regard to the process for the delivery of new schools; the position with regard to this process in the case of schools completed by a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44971/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

Under the Public Works Design and Build contract, when the Contractor achieves substantial completion of the Works he/she must then request the Employer’s Representative, working on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills, to issue a “Certificate of Substantial Completion”. The Contract states that “the certificate may include a list of Defects and any outstanding work [but nothing in the certificate, including the failure to list any defect, relieves the Contractor of any obligations]”.

This is very clear in the wording of the Certificates of Substantial Completion, which is signed and issued by the Employer’s Representative, viz.:

“In issuing this Certificate of Substantial Completion, the Employer’s Representative is relying on, and shall have no liability in respect of, the Opinions of Compliance issued by the Design & Build Contractor and the Design & Build Contractor’s Design team certifying that the completed works have been properly carried out in accordance with the Contract and fully comply with the current Building Regulations, Planning Permission and Fire Safety Certificate. (pre-2014 wording).”

This is a standard requirement in all projects using the Public Works Form of Contract and, as such, has applied in the case of all schools completed by the company to which the Deputy refers.

Schools Building Projects

Ceisteanna (289)

Thomas Byrne

Ceist:

289. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position with regard to the completion of structural assessments for all schools completed by a company (details supplied) for his Department since 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44973/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

The structural assessments have been conducted on the schools in question and the outcome is available on the Department's website at www.education.gov.ie.

I wish to assure the Deputy that the safety of school students and staff has been, and will continue to be, the Department’s overriding priority during this process.

Schools Building Projects

Ceisteanna (290)

Thomas Byrne

Ceist:

290. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of applications for fire safety works received by his Department in 2017 and to date in 2018; the number of applications which have been accepted and rejected, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44975/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

In 2017, my Department received 18 applications to address fire safety issues in schools. Of these, 17 applications were approved. My Department has requested additional information from the school authority in respect of the remaining application to enable it to be properly assessed.

To date in 2018 my Department has received 63 applications for fire safety works in schools.

49 applications have been approved. The remainder are either awaiting additional information from the school authority or revised applications.

One school was unsuccessful because it already had adequate fire safety measures in place in the school.

Schools Building Projects

Ceisteanna (291)

Thomas Byrne

Ceist:

291. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of fire safety audits conducted by his Department 2017 and to date in 2018; the county in which the audits took place; if issues were identified in these audits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44976/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

The Department initiated a programme of fire safety assessments in 55 schools in Q4 2017. This involved 30 schools constructed by Western Building Systems under Design and Build contracts and a representative sample of 25 other schools constructed over the last 20 years. Fire Safety Consultants have visited all 55 schools and to date 51 initial Fire Safety Assessment reports have been received in my Department with the remaining 4 reports due in the coming weeks. The Fire Safety Consultants have engaged directly with the fire officers in their respective local authorities to advise of remedial works planned and underway.

The reports identify various housekeeping, maintenance and remedial works to be addressed and the Department has engaged the services of KSN Project Managers with a full technical team including Architects, Engineers and Fire Safety Consultants, to organise and oversee any necessary remedial works.

Fire Safety Assessments were undertaken in the following counties; Dublin, Meath, Kildare, Kilkenny, Westmeath, Laois, Wexford, Galway, Mayo, Kerry, Cork, Limerick and Monaghan.

Schools Building Contractors

Ceisteanna (292)

Thomas Byrne

Ceist:

292. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position with regard to the completion of an audit of a company (details supplied) announced in September 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44977/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

My Department initiated a programme of fire safety assessments in 55 schools in Q4 2017. This involved 30 schools constructed by the company referred to by Deputy under Design and Build contracts and a representative sample of 25 other schools constructed over the last 20 years.

Fire Safety Consultants have visited all 55 schools and to date 51 initial Fire Safety Assessment reports have been received in my Department with the remaining 4 reports, 2 of which are for the company in question due in the coming weeks.

Schools Building Projects

Ceisteanna (293)

Thomas Byrne

Ceist:

293. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the appointment of a clerk of works; the number of inspections carried out by this clerk to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44978/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

Since September 2017, my Department appoints a full-time resident Clerk of Works on all major school construction projects going to site.

The role of a Clerk of Works is to represent the interests of the client with regard to ensuring that the quality of both materials and workmanship is in accordance with the architect’s/engineer’s drawings and specifications. This includes inspection of materials and workmanship through the construction process.

The Clerk of Works does not have a function under the Public Works Contract but reports to the Employer’s Representative (ER) on any matters of concern so that these can be brought to the attention of the Contractor by the ER. The Clerk of Works is a full time appointment who remains on site on a daily basis and attends the standard fortnightly site meetings with the ER.

Schools Building Projects

Ceisteanna (294)

Thomas Byrne

Ceist:

294. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a final substantial completion certificate is issued with regard to his Department’s process for the delivery of new schools; the position with regard to this process in the case of schools completed by a company (details supplied) as part of a rapid build programme in 2008 and 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44979/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

Under Design and Build contracts, the contractor and the contractor’s design team are responsible for ensuring quality and for presenting Certificates which confirm that the buildings are constructed in accordance with the works requirements and building regulations.

The Certificates relating to buildings constructed by the Contractor referred to by the Deputy, signed by the Contractor and its architects, engineers, and sub-contractors, are on the Department’s files. In 2008/09 these Certificates were pro-forma templates provided by the relevant professional bodies (e.g. RIAI, ACEI etc.).

Under the Public Works Design and Build contract, when the Contractor achieves substantial completion of the Works he/she must then request the Employer’s Representative, working on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills, to issue a “Certificate of Substantial Completion”. The Contract states that “the certificate may include a list of Defects and any outstanding work [but nothing in the certificate, including the failure to list any defect, relieves the Contractor of any obligations]”.

This was very clear in the wording of the Certificates of Substantial Completion, which was signed and issued by the Employer’s Representative in 2008 and 2009, viz.:

“In issuing this Certificate of Substantial Completion, the Employer’s Representative is relying on, and shall have no liability in respect of, the Opinions of Compliance issued by the Design & Build Contractor and the Design & Build Contractor’s Design team certifying that the completed works have been properly carried out in accordance with the Contract and fully comply with the current Building Regulations, Planning Permission and Fire Safety Certificate.”

School Accommodation

Ceisteanna (295)

Eoin Ó Broin

Ceist:

295. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the need for a sensory room in a school (details supplied); and if there is provision in the schools capital programme for allocating funding for such projects. [44984/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

I wish to advise the Deputy that the school in question has access to special education teaching rooms and a multi-purpose room and it is open to the school to determine how it utilises the totality of its accommodation which could include prioritising it for the purposes referred to by the Deputy.

School Accommodation Provision

Ceisteanna (296)

Clare Daly

Ceist:

296. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a solution to the oversubscription of first year students to a school (details supplied) for August 2019; his plans in this regard; and the funding available. [44986/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

I can confirm to the Deputy that the school in question has recently submitted an application for additional temporary accommodation to cater for increasing enrolment.

My Department has been liaising with the school relating to the application and additional temporary accommodation has now been approved. The school authority has been advised accordingly.

Home School Community Liaison Scheme

Ceisteanna (297)

Fiona O'Loughlin

Ceist:

297. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to reintroduce home school liaison officers in schools in urban and rural areas. [44994/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

The Deputy will also be aware that the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) Scheme is a school-based intervention provided to DEIS schools to address the needs of all pupils/families at risk of educational disadvantage through acknowledging and developing the role of the parent as prime educator. The role of the HSCL Coordinator is to work primarily with the salient adults in the child’s life, in order to empower them, so that they can better support their children to attend school, participate in education and develop positive attitudes to life-long learning. Central to the HSCL initiative, is the identification of educational needs and the provision of a tailored and proportionate response to those needs, through a range of interventions, which are evidence-based, focused and structured.

All DEIS Urban Primary and DEIS Post Primary schools are currently included in the HSCL Scheme, which serves 539 schools. The scheme is delivered by 416 full-time HSCL Coordinators who are teachers in these schools and assigned to HSCL duties either in individual schools or clusters of schools, catering for approximately 156,000 pupils.

The impact of socio-economic factors on educational outcomes can be different between urban and rural settings and we need to take account of that. While urban and rural disadvantage share many characteristics, such as poverty, unemployment and poor housing conditions, as such disadvantage in a rural context does not have the same impact on educational performance. The Performance Report from the National Assessments of English Reading and Mathematics (NAERM), 2014 highlighted the gap that exists between DEIS urban Band 1 schools and pupils in other schools in both reading and maths. Performance in rural DEIS schools is about the same as the national average, while performance in DEIS Band 2 primary schools has improved substantially according to the 2014 National Assessments. Assessments of reading and mathematics performance in DEIS rural primary schools show that students in these schools in some cases perform better than rural non-DEIS schools and at the same level as their counterparts in urban non-DEIS schools.

My Department's objective in implementing DEIS Plan 2017 is to have the maximum possible impact on providing opportunities for students most at risk of disadvantage. To achieve this, additional resources must be targeted as closely as possible at those students with the greatest need in terms of concentrated levels of disadvantage.

The Deputy may wish to note that Rural DEIS primary schools continue to be supported through the DEIS programme with a range of additional supports, including grant aid in the form of a DEIS grant, enhanced book grant, access to the DEASP School Meals Programme and priority access for teachers to a range of professional development programmes as well as the Incredible Years and Friends programmes.

My Department has no plans at present to extend this Scheme beyond DEIS Schools.

Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme

Ceisteanna (298)

Brendan Griffin

Ceist:

298. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a matter regarding a school (details supplied) in County Kerry. [45030/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

Since the establishment of An tAonad um Oideachas Gaeltachta within the Department of Education and Skills, significant progress has been made in relation to the development of the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme following consultation with relevant stakeholders, and commencement of its implementation in schools. The objective of the Scheme is to allow participating schools, following consultation with their local communities, to seek to achieve Gaeltacht School Recognition over a 5 year period on the basis of the implementation of specific language-based criteria, including the implementation of a total-immersion approach and the development of action plans by schools.

To encourage participation in the Scheme by schools, a comprehensive information pack outlining the benefits of immersion education and bilingualism was sent to schools for dissemination to school communities, including parents and teachers. The information pack was developed by the Gaeltacht Education Unit in the Department in collaboration with An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG), Gaeloideachas, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Údarás na Gaeltachta.

In April 2017, all schools in Gaeltacht language-planning areas, including the primary school in question, were invited to participate in the Scheme. The Scheme has been welcomed by Gaeltacht communities and well-received in Gaeltacht schools. This is evident from the high participation rates in the Scheme. 106 or 80% of primary schools and 28 or 96% of post-primary schools in the Gaeltacht have opted to participate in the Scheme. The primary school referred to by the Deputy joined the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme in June 2017 and submitted its action plan to the Gaeltacht Education Unit for review in January 2018.

Each participating school’s action plans for improvement was reviewed by An tAonad um Oideachas Gaeltachta in February 2018 and feedback was provided to each individual school. This enabled each participating school, including the school in question, to access additional resources from September 2018. These resources include access to a grant to purchase Irish-medium teaching resources, additional language-teaching hours (an additional 7.5 hours per week in the case of the primary school concerned), additional continuing professional development delivered by COGG, and additional advisory visits provided by the Inspectorate.

The additional language support hours (over and above the normal staffing allocation), allocated to primary schools participating in the Scheme from September 2018, was based on the enrolment figures recorded in the previous year, which is in line with Department norms. Schools at primary level, were given the option to combine these additional language support hours with other primary schools in the locality to form clusters, which would allow for the creation of a temporary part-time teaching post that would be shared by the primary schools in the particular cluster. The primary school concerned was also given this option.

The general staffing allocation arrangements for 2018/19 for all primary schools, including the school in question, are set out in Circular 10/2018. The staffing arrangements allow for more favourable retention rates in Gaeltacht schools than in other schools. Appendix A of Circular 10/2018 sets out the criteria for the current school year: www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/Teacher-Allocations/Teacher-Allocations-Primary.html.

The staffing allocation arrangements for 2019/20 will be published early in 2019.

Departmental Reports

Ceisteanna (299)

Thomas Byrne

Ceist:

299. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the publication of a report regarding the development of a pathway to redress for victims of convicted sexual abusers commissioned following the passage of a Private Member's motion in Dáil Éireann on 4 July 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45035/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

As you know, the State Claims Agency (SCA) manages school child sexual abuse litigation being taken against the State. In December 2014, the Government authorised the SCA to offer “out of court” settlements to persons taking cases of school child sexual abuse against the State where their cases come within the terms of the ECHR judgment in the O’Keeffe case and are not statute barred.

The State’s approach to out-of-court settlement offers in this situation is based on its interpretation of the scope of the European Court’s judgment. That interpretation is that the ruling applies to cases involving sexual abuse of a school child by a school employee in respect of whom there was a prior complaint of sexual abuse to a school authority made prior to the introduction of the Department of Education child protection guidelines issued to primary and post-primary schools in 1991 and 1992 respectively. In addition, the case must not be statute barred.

Justice Iarfhlaith O’Neill was appointed by my predecessor in November 2017 to act as an independent assessor in relation to determinations of the SCA on eligibility of applicants to the ex-gratia scheme.

Following an initial submission on ‘whether the imposition of the condition which required that there had to be evidence of a prior complaint of child sexual abuse on the part of the employee in question to the school authority (or a school authority in which the employee has previously worked), to establish eligibility for a payment under the ex gratia scheme, is consistent with and a correct implementation of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Louise O’Keeffe v. Ireland', Mr Justice O'Neill invited a further submission to address in particular ‘the legal status and/or legal effect in domestic law, of decisions/determinations of the Committee of Ministers in relation to the implementation/enforcement of judgments of the ECtHR. ’

Both submissions can be accessed on the Department's website. Mr Justice O’Neill has invited solicitors representing applicants for assessment and other third parties for their views on the latest submission.

Gaelcholáistí Issues

Ceisteanna (300)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

300. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the proposed Gaelcholáiste for Maynooth, County Kildare; the timeframe in which it will be delivered and begin enrolment; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that persons wishing to continue their education at second level in the Maynooth area must travel to Dublin to do so however are disadvantaged from the enrolment process due to their area of origin; if he will issue a reply to a person (details supplied) directly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45041/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

As the Deputy will be aware, Maynooth Community College opened in 2014 with an Irish-medium Aonad and it was stated that should the Aonad demonstrate sufficient viability after four years from its date of establishment, a Gaelcholáiste would be established. As part of the Major School Building Projects announcement in November 2015 and in view of the continued support for an independent Gaelcholáiste, it was confirmed that a Gaelcholáiste to serve the North Kildare area will open in 2019, subject to the continued viability of the Irish-medium Aonad at Maynooth Community College.

Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board and An Foras Pátrúnachta are working through the practical arrangements to facilitate the establishment of the Gaelcholáiste and my Department will continue to work with them in this regard.

In relation to the Deputy's query on access to a specific Gaelcholáiste referenced in the details supplied, parents can choose which school to apply to and where places are available students should be admitted. The Department’s main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area.

Where schools are over-subscribed a selection process may be necessary. The selection process and enrolment policy must comply with The Education Act 1998 and the relevant sections of the Admissions Act 2018. The process must be non-discriminatory and be applied fairly.

Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 provides for an appeal by a parent or guardian to the Secretary General of my Department, or in the case of an Educational Training Board (ETB) school to the ETB in the first instance, where a Board of Management of a school, or a person acting on behalf of the Board, refuses to enrol a student in a school, expels a student or suspends a student for 20 or more days in any school year. Further information on the Section 29 appeals process is available on the Department's website www.education.ie.

The Education Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The EWS can be contacted at 01-7718500.

Schools Building Projects

Ceisteanna (301)

Catherine Martin

Ceist:

301. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if all of the fire and safety audits of schools constructed by a company (details supplied) announced in September 2017 have been completed; if not, the schools awaiting an audit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45042/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

My Department initiated a programme of fire safety assessments in 55 schools in Q4 2017. This involved 30 schools constructed by the company referred to by Deputy under Design and Build contracts and a representative sample of 25 other schools constructed over the last 20 years.

Fire Safety Consultants have visited all 55 schools and to date 51 initial Fire Safety Assessment reports have been received in my Department with the remaining 4 reports, 2 of which are for the company in question, due in the coming weeks.

Schools Building Contractors

Ceisteanna (302)

Peadar Tóibín

Ceist:

302. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Skills the addresses of the schools that were built by a company (details supplied); the amount spent on schools built by the company; and the financial protections in place to protect the State from costs associated with building problems within these schools. [45050/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

Details of the 42 schools constructed by the company in question are set out in the following table. The Department spent some €151.7 million on the design and build of these schools.

The Department fully intends to pursue the company in question through all contractual and legal channels for the cost of precautionary measures and remediation work arising from structural issues identified.

	County	Roll No	School	Contractor	Year Completed
1	Dublin	20166W	Griffeen Valley Educate Together National School	Western Building Systems	2003
2	Westmeath	20188J	Mullingar Educate Together National School	Western Building Systems	2008
3	Wicklow	20301C	Gaelscoil na gCloch Liath (also now occupying former ETNS Building on same campus)	Western Building Systems	2008
4	Dublin	20176C	Rush & Lusk Educate Together National School	Western Building Systems	2008
5	Dublin City	20304I	St. Francis of Assisi, Belmayne	Western Building Systems	2008
6	Dublin City	20308Q	Belmayne Educate Together National School	Western Building Systems	2008
7	Cork	15597W	Macroom Boys National School	Western Building Systems	2009
8	Dublin Fingal	76129H	Ardgillan Community College	Western Building Systems	2009
9	Dublin	20201V	Tyrrelstown Educate Together National School	Western Building Systems	2011
10	Meath	20215J	St Pau'ls National School, Ratoath	Western Building Systems	2011
11	Kildare	16705E	Scoil Phadraig Naofa (New School)	Western Building Systems	2011
12	Kildare	06209J	Athy Model School	Western Building Systems	2011
13	Kildare	20192A	Gaelscoil Atha Í	Western Building Systems	2011
14	Dublin	20303G	Lucan East Educate Together National School	Western Building Systems	2011
15	Dublin Fingal	16675V	St. Luke's NS Hollywood Road, Tyrrelstown	Western Building Systems	2012
16	Dublin Fingal	n/a	Castlemills  Education Centre (formerly occupied by RN20269J Scoil Chormaic CNS) + Flemington Community Centre Balbriggan	Western Building Systems	2012
17	Laois	15556I	Portarlington Convent National School	Western Building Systems	2012
18	Dublin Belgard	20223I	Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada, Lucan	Western Building Systems	2012
19	Cork County	20006A	Gaelscoil Chloich na Coillte, Clonakilty renamed GS Mhichíl Uí Choileáin	Western Building Systems	2013
20	Cork County	20310D	Carrigaline Educate Together National School	Western Building Systems	2013
21	Cork	20335T	Scoil Phadraig Naofa, Rochestown	Western Building Systems	2013
22	Dublin	20241K	Scoil Choilm, Diswellstown,Porterstown (linked to Luttrellstown CC)	Western Building Systems	2013
23	Dublin	76130P	Luttrellstown Community College	Western Building Systems	2013
24	Laois	14838N	Maryborough National School	Western Building Systems	2013
25	Laois	20081O	Gaelscoil Portlaoise	Western Building Systems	2013
26	Laois	20347D	Portlaoise Educate Together National School	Western Building Systems	2013
27	Cork City	20354A	Cara Jnr (Special) School	Western Building Systems	2014
28	Dun Laoghaire Rathdown	20425U	Gaelscoil Shliabh Rua	Western Building Systems	2015
29	Dublin City	20453C	Broombridge Educate Together National School	Western Building Systems	2016
30	Dublin Belgard	20426W	Lucan Community National School , Balgaddy Road, Lucan	Western Building Systems	2016
31	Dublin Belgard	20422O	Scoil Aoife Community National School, City West	Western Building Systems	2016
32	Dublin Belgard	19872P	Scoil Chaitlin Maude	Western Building Systems	2016
33	Meath	20082Q	Gaelscoil Tulach na Og, Dunboyne	Western Building Systems	2016
34	Meath	76196W	De Lacy College, Ashbourne	Western Building Systems	2016
35	Meath	20382F	Gaelscoil na Mí, Ashbourne	Western Building Systems	2016
36	Meath	20396Q	Ashbourne Educate Together National School	Western Building Systems	2016
37	Donegal	20235P	Letterkenny Educate Together National School	Western Building Systems	2017
38	Dublin Belgard	20411J	Firhouse Educate Together National School	Western Building Systems	2017
39	Kildare	20428D	Gaelscoil Mhic Aodha	Western Building Systems	2018
40	Wexford	18280I	St Joseph's National School, Gorey	Western Building Systems	2018
41	Galway	20000L	Galway Educate Together National School	Western Building Systems	2018
42	Dublin Belgard	20412L	Gaelscoil Teach Giuise	Western Building Systems	2018