Departments rapped over music school

TWO Government departments were criticised yesterday by the State financial watchdog for failing properly to manage the Cork School of Music project.

The controversial Public Private Partnership project (PPP) which has been delayed for more than five years, was finally given the all-clear to proceed in March but will not be completed on time for Cork's position as European capital of culture next year.

Speaking before the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC) yesterday Comptroller and Auditor General John Purcell said he had “some concern about the way this project was managed”. In particular Mr Purcell criticised the manner in which the Department of Education and the Department of Finance had dealt with the project.

Although the estimated construction cost of the school is E60m, under the terms of the project, private partners Jarvis will also be paid E8.2m for 25 years to cover the running costs and maintenance of the school.

However, the company has agreed to consider whether savings can be made without going through the planning and tendering processes again.

When challenged by Fine Gael’s Michael Noonan, Department of Finance assistant secretary Jim O'Brien denied his department had delayed the project. “We wouldn't accept that we held the project up for five years,” he said, adding concerns about affordability of the proposal were not finalised until Government gave the final go-ahead six weeks ago. Mr O'Brien said his department had learnt from the Cork project and had changed procedures to take account of mistakes.

Department of Education secretary general John Dennehy also conceded that the Cork School of Music project had been a long and complicated one, but stressed the original plan for the school was long ago abandoned as inadequate. “If we had gone ahead with the proposal we would have ended up with a bit of an extension added onto a totally inadequate building.”

Department of Education PPP expert David Gorden admitted the department had gone through a steep learning curve given the complexities of the Cork School of Music project. “We have plenty of experience in building schools. We had no experience in building schools of music.”

Mr Gorden said the Department expected the final contract with Jarvis to be signed off on by the end of the summer.