The controversial Berkeley School project will be finished on time next September and on budget, Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott told MPs on Wednesday.

He said he had not advised Education Minister Paula Cox that there would any need for contingency plans for alternative classrooms if the school was not finished on time.

Mr. Scott responded to questions from Shadow Education Minister Tim Smith, he said he could not believe the project would be on time.

Mr. Smith referred to aerial pictures of the site published in The Royal Gazette last week which showed, according to a contractor interviewed by the newspaper, that the project was months behind. Mr. Scott said the newspaper had "embarrassed" itself and the UBP because, he claimed, the photographs published last week were at least two months old. He then accepted they were two weeks old.

"I have no information that I should go to her (Ms Cox) and tell her to prepare for it to be late," said Mr. Scott. "At the moment, there is no need to concern her or inform her because there is a window until December 31 to progress the site in the most rapid way."He said The Royal Gazette article stated the project was six months behind, but the project was only 13 months old, so building already completed must have only taken seven months, which would have been phenomenal.

And he said the contractor interviewed by the newspaper was biased as he was one of the original, unsuccessful bidders for the site.