Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 September 2025
712. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department covers the cost of any unitary charges arising from public private partnership contracts for further or higher educational institutions; and if so to list the institutions and the cost associated. [50195/25]
View answerMy Department is responsible for the payment of Unitary Charges for five higher education projects that have been delivered to date, by way of Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract.
These costs include the cost of design, construction and finance, as well as the cost of operating, maintaining and conducting lifecycle works to the buildings over the operational period of the contract.
As is the case with all higher education PPP projects, the costs are reimbursed by the Department to the PPP Company, as part of the annual Unitary Charge payments. These payments commence once construction has been completed and continue over a period, typically 25 years.
I have also attached a table which outlines the costs associated with payment the Unitary Charges for these PPP projects in 2024.
It should be noted that the annual Unitary Charge payments for the Grangegorman PPP Project are co-funded by TU Dublin through its own sources, including via efficiency savings generated by the consolidation of its activities at Grangegorman.
In addition, Carlow Institute for Further Education is part of Schools Bundle 5 from a contractual point of view, and the UC for this individual building is paid to the Department of Education and Youth rather than direct to a PPP company
|
UC PAYMENTS 2024 |
|
|
PPP Name |
TOTAL €m |
|
National Maritime College, Ireland |
6.689 |
|
Cork School of Music |
8.763 |
|
Grangegorman Quads |
20.57 |
|
HEPPP Bundle 1 |
0.278 |
|
Carlow IFE |
1.67 |
