Builders of Dublin firetrap school still tendering

The builders behind a 200-child primary school, found six years after it opened to have serious fire safety problems which could have seen it collapse during a blaze within 20 minutes, is still tendering and winning Government contracts.

The Department of Education confirmed last night that Western Building Systems is continuing to apply for the State deals despite a plethora of issues surrounding the Rush and Lusk Educate Together national school which was built almost a decade ago.

As revealed in yesterday’s Irish Examiner, the facility in north county Dublin was developed by the firm – from Coalisland, Dungannon, Co Tyrone – in 2008 under the department’s rapid build school scheme, which was used to build schools quickly to cater for surging population demand.