€50m European loan gets school building projects going

Eight new school building projects are to begin work immediately thanks to a €50m loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The schools in Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Limerick, Waterford, Westmeath, and Wexford are being built under a public-private partnership (PPP) deal and have had planning permission since May.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn says the private firm BAM PPP, selected after a tender process 14 months ago, should be able to start construction straight away as a result of the finance.