What about knocking down schools?

I want to raise the same issue as Deputy Paul Murphy. I agree with much of what he said on the problems highlighted. It was scary to hear the response of the Tánaiste on this because we will see the same problems arise in years to come.

The Letterkenny Educate Together national school in Donegal is one of the 42 school buildings throughout the country that faces structural assessment in the coming days. This is a result of the unfolding scandal of questionable building practices carried out by Western Building Systems that has already resulted in the closure of three schools. Letterkenny Educate Together national school is newly opened and enjoying its first full academic year as students only moved into the new building last January. Understandably, parents and students are very concerned and have many questions that need to be answered. I have spoken to some of the parents and they have not been able to get any information from the school or the Department, which is adding to the anxiety they already face concerning the future of their children's education. I understand the school board of management has sought to reassure parents that an inspection is a precautionary measure and there is no indication the building is unsafe for pupils and staff at present but that is all they have been told by the Department. Now we hear the Department of Education and Skills has established a communications team to ensure principals have the information they need. I urge that this communication be extended to boards of management to ensure the information is also given out to parents.

I am aware that senior officials from the Department of Education and Skills and Western Buildings Systems are due to meet today. I strongly urge the Minister to present to the House further information arising from the meeting so that all Deputies have an opportunity to relay information back to their constituents. We are speaking about potentially thousands of pupils facing classroom closures. It would be a miracle if, with regard to all 42 school buildings to be inspected, alternative accommodation was secured before children return after the Halloween break.

I hope the Tánaiste can understand why parents in Donegal are particularly concerned about this. A scandal such as this harks back to other construction-related catastrophes, which this Government and the previous Government failed to adequately address. I am speaking specifically about the ongoing mica scandal in Donegal, which has affected thousands of homeowners. In reality, its full extent is still unknown. It took years for residents and public representatives such as me to secure a redress scheme while many homes perished in the meantime and others continue to degrade while we wait for the scheme to kick in. Now we hear that certain hospitals built by Western Building Systems may also be affected, as may houses around the capital.

Will the Government carry out the necessary oversight and accountability measures required of a functioning Government? Will the Tánaiste confirm when the investigation into Letterkenny Educate Together national school will be carried out? What steps will be taken to identify alternative premises should the inspection find one is required?

I also have schools in my constituency affected by this and of course parents are asking questions. This is why a specific communications unit has been established in the Department to liaise with teachers and principals and ensure information is available on request to establish dates for when the inspections will take place in the coming days. Three contract teams have been taken on to undertake the inspections and they are already under way in a number of schools. I expect the school in Letterkenny will get notification of the day and time when the inspections are likely to take place.

The Department is arranging for structural assessments to be carried out in all school buildings constructed by Western Building Systems using the particular construction method of steel frame and timber infill. As I said, three teams of contractors have been mobilised to undertake the assessments. These assessments will progress today and continue over the weekend and during the mid-term break. The relevant schools will be informed as soon as a time and date is confirmed for their assessments.

A structural assessment was undertaken yesterday in a Gaelscoil in Firhouse, which was completed earlier this year. While the final analysis has not yet been completed, nothing has arisen from the assessment that would warrant the closure of the school. We can expect that some of the schools are unlikely to have serious safety issues but we need to be sure, just like we need to be sure that if the same contractor built health facilities using similar methods we do an audit and address it comprehensively. I am told that as soon as this afternoon we will have information on it. We know that some schools will have safety issues that will result in them been closed. In some cases, where they are three-storey buildings, it may be possible to keep part of the school open with the necessary engineering supports-----

Who inspected them?

In some cases, obviously, this will not be the case because we will err on the side of safety always, which is what we must do. We will know more as these audits take place and we will ensure the communications on when and how the audits take place are available for principals and parents.

There are two aspects to this. One is the current response and one is what Deputy Paul Murphy outlined earlier with regard to the historical case. I will deal with the current response first. The Tánaiste said that information is being provided. I contacted the unit today and eventually received an email in reply to thank me for my email and that the Department will reply to me as soon as possible. This is what parents can expect to hear when they raise the issue. This is not acceptable for anybody and it is not the way it should be. There should be somebody there to fill in people and tell them what is happening and ensure they receive the news so their fears can be allayed. This is vital.

Temporary accommodation will not be available. If it turns out the school needs to have temporary accommodation the Department will just turn around and say it is up to the school to sort it out. That is not acceptable in this situation because these school bodies had nothing to do with the building and provision of these schools. This was solely down to the Department. If the drive of the Department which allowed this certification process to take place is to get the lowest price on tenders that builders will then certify themselves, we will have these problems in the future.

It is important to say that price is not the sole determinant.

It is.

It is.

It was with Western Building Systems.

Please let the Tánaiste respond.

No school will be left on its own. There is already a group of people in the Department whose job it is to work with schools when necessary and to work with the education and training boards, other local educational institutions and other institutions that can help accommodate, if necessary, students and staff in a way that protects their safety and ensures their education can continue. Nobody will be left alone here. This has unfolded quickly. The communications unit was only put in place yesterday and it is getting up and running. I hope and expect that as soon as today the Deputy will see a significant improvement in response times for people who have genuine questions and who are trying to get information.