Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 October 2023
59. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education the number of schools in County Mayo that have plans for additional accommodation delayed because of inflationary costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45026/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Education has a strong track record of project delivery. During the period 2018 to 2022, nearly 900 school building projects were completed under a variety of delivery mechanisms. Some 300 projects are under construction during 2023, of which 40 are new school buildings.
Under Project Ireland 2040, in excess of €5 billion will be invested in school infrastructure during the period 2021 to 2025.
There are currently 66 school building projects at schools in County Mayo at various stages of planning and delivery, and additional schools with further applications for capital funding which are currently being assessed.
The main focus of my Department’s capital allocation over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of critical additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics. The Department is required to manage the overall school building programme so that we target and prioritise areas that are under greatest pressure for additional school places. This reflects our fundamental objective of ensuring the availability of a school place for every child.
The nature of such a large capital programme is such that delays can arise on any individual project for a multitude of reasons and my Department’s approach is to manage these as best as possible to ensure urgently required projects get delivered as quickly as possible within the resources available. Some of the types of issues that can arise on individual projects include identifying and acquiring a site for a new school, procurement of a Design Team, site or design issues, planning permission issues including appeals to An Bord Pleanala, tendering process etc.
It is also important to note that the current construction environment is very challenging and it can be difficult at times to attract strong interest from contractors and get them to stand over tender prices for projects proceeding to construction.
Cost control is a feature of the management of all projects, including school building projects, but my Department has not delayed additional accommodation projects at schools because of inflationary construction costs. In some instances, however, technical challenges with sites can give rise to significant abnormal development or other unforeseen costs and a reassessment of project scope can be required in order to ensure the viability of the planned project. This particular scenario is relevant in the case of a significant interim accommodation project at a post primary school in Mayo.
The position on individual projects evolves all the time and 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.
My Department will continue to work to deliver critically required school building projects in County Mayo, as with elsewhere in the country, as quickly as possible.
