Six new school buildings to be delivered under PPP Bundle 5The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., today announced details of the schools that are to be delivered in Bundle 5 of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) school building programme.
An existing primary school, St Philomena’s National School in Bray, Co. Wicklow and three post- primary schools, Eureka Secondary School in Kells, Co. Meath, Coláiste Raithín in Bray, Co. Wicklow, and Loreto College in Wexford, will get new school buildings under this new bundle.
A VEC college in Carlow town currently providing Post-Leaving Certificate courses and mainstream second-level education will be replaced with two new institutions. The joint campus will comprise a post-primary school and a further education college, each catering for 1,000 students.
The projects, due to be completed by the end of 2016, will see some 4,650 students benefit from state of the art classrooms and facilities. Local communities will also benefit, as many schools make their grounds and buildings available for a range of community activities.
It is expected that approximately 750 jobs in construction will be created.
Minister Quinn said, “These school building projects which will give an important boost to employment in the construction industry and have knock-on benefits to the local communities.
“The PPP model, through which the private sector bears the initial cost of building projects, strengthens our capacity to deliver much needed school places at a time of financial difficulty.
“I am confident that these developments will serve students and communities for many years to come.”
Part of the Government’s Economic Stimulus Package announced by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin T.D., in July 2012, Bundle 5 has a total indicative value of €50-€60 million.
ENDS
Notes for Editors-Schools in Bundle 5:
School Location School Type
Carlow VS Carlow Post Primary
Carlow FE College Carlow FE College
Eureka Secondary School, Kells Meath Post Primary
Coláiste Raithín, Bray Wicklow Post Primary
St Philomena’s NS, Bray Wicklow Primary
Loreto College
Wexford Wexford Post-Primary
Three of the projects (St. Philomena's, Coláiste Raithín and Eureka) are additional to those originally announced in the five-year school building plan.
Public Private Partnerships (PPPs):
Delivering these projects through PPPs will allow the burden of State investments be borne upfront initially by the private sector when the State is experiencing fiscal difficulties that are curtailing investment and leading to consequential impacts on economic activity. Utilising PPP opportunities allows the private sector address these infrastructural needs with the State sector paying for this investment over an extended period of time usually 25 years.
Delivery of educational infrastructure through PPPs usually results in delivery costs, maintenance and operational costs all being borne upfront by the private sector. The public sector repays the private's sector investment in the form of annual unitary charges encompassing maintenance elements / operational elements and building element. In this way and particularly at a time when there are strains on the public purse the costs to the public sector are distributed over a prolonged period but the needs are addressed and economic activities enabled.