I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, to the House. She is most welcome to Seanad Éireann.
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Healthcare Policy
I thank the Minister of State for coming in. Since I became a Senator 16 months ago, I have raised the issue of givinostat for children living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, DMD, so many times, together with other colleagues in the Seanad. Last month, a large crowd of up to 2,000 people turned out in the Diamond in Donegal to support the children with DMD. In the health committee last year, we were told it would be sorted by Christmas. It was then pushed out to the early new year. Now, we are into June. Time is muscle for children with DMD. Every day, week and month that passes without access to this treatment can result in further decreased progression and permanent loss of physical ability. We are letting our children down. Families have watched as their children lose strength, mobility and independence. Children who were eligible for the treatment when givinostat was established over ten years ago in other countries are now maybe not eligible for givinostat because it has taken so long in this country. While families recognise the appropriate assessment procedures have to be followed, families are waiting and watching their children decline rapidly.
I am asking the Minister of State to outline the current status of givinostat, the timeline and when the final decision on this medicine will be made. These children have waited long enough. Time is muscle. It is important. I know of three children in Donegal with this. It is so sad to see them. I thought we would have this sorted long ago. It seems to have dragged on and on. As I said earlier, time is muscle. It is very important for these children all over Ireland. Of the three children in Donegal. One of them, Nathan, got a trial from England ten years ago. He is holding his own and is in good health. His brother, Dermot, however, does not have access to givinostat. This is something we need. Aaron Langan is the same. We need to get this sorted. We need to get it sorted soon.
The Minister of State is very welcome. I will follow on from where Senator Boyle left off. I have raised this too. I am on the health committee as well. On 15 October 2025, the governing body that decides what medicines are included in the long-term illness book stated it was at a very advanced stage and that it has been sorted. As Senator Boyle said, it was meant to be Christmas and then it was pushed out. Now we are in June and there has been no decision. I understand a meeting will be held today where they will look at it but I too know of families that have been affected by this. One of my neighbour's grandson is one of the children affected. It is a very trying time for families. As Senator Boyle said, time is muscle. The longer it goes on, the more debilitating that it is for these children. That causes stress and strain within families as well. This needs to be sorted out. I want a timeline. I want to know when families will be reimbursed for the drugs for this serious illness. I know a huge number of people are not affected by this but nobody should have to wait for the timeframe that they have had to thus far for this decision to be made.
I thank the two Senators for raising this serious issue today. As Senators know, I will be taking this behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a rare disease affecting fewer than 200 people in Ireland. The Minister spoke at Muscular Dystrophy Ireland’s national conference in December 2025 and met the families of children with DMD two weeks ago. The State acknowledges the importance of access to medicines. This Government is committed to providing timely access to new and innovative medicines and has made considerable investments in recent years, with annual expenditure on medicines now almost €4 billion.
This represents nearly €1 in every €8 of public funding being spent on health. This level of investment is unprecedented in supporting patients through the availability of new innovative medicines. Budgets 2021 to 2025 have included dedicated funding for new medicines of €158 million. Budget 2026 allocated an additional €30 million of funding for new drugs out of €217 million in additional funding for these drugs. This has enabled the HSE to approve reimbursement for 270 new medicines or new uses for existing medicines, including over 100 for treating cancer and 74 for treating rare diseases. Givinostat was evaluated by the European Medicines Agency with a recommendation that it be granted conditional marketing authorisation for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in ambulant patients aged six years or older. The European Commission granted conditional marketing authorisation in this indication on 6 June 2025. This has been worked on.
The HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicines and medical items in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. In line with the Act, a company must submit an application to the HSE to have a new medicine added to the formal reimbursement list. The Minister met her Italian counterpart at the EPSCO Council meeting in June 2025 in Luxembourg to ask him to encourage the company to submit a timely pricing and reimbursement application to Ireland. On 6 August 2025, an application for reimbursement was received by the HSE and underwent a rapid review by the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, NCPE. Following the conclusion of a rapid review on 14 August 2025, a full health technology assessment, HTA, was commissioned by the HSE on 26 August 2025.
On 30 September 2025, the NCPE met Italfarmaco to assist the HTA process. The assessment of the pricing and reimbursement application for givinostat could not proceed until the full health technology assessment was received from the company on 15 January 2026. The NCPE assessment concluded on 3 March 2026. The HSE’s corporate pharmaceutical unit, the interface between the HSE and the pharmaceutical industry, held a meeting with the manufacturer on 27 March 2026. A commercial offer from Italfarmaco was then submitted to the HSE on 8 May 2026. The drugs group has met to consider the application. The HSE’s drugs group will now issue a recommendation to the HSE senior leadership team, which holds full decision-making authority on the reimbursement of a medicine. There is a lot of work ongoing. It is important, as the Senator said, that this is worked on as soon as possible. There has been a lot of engagement on this matter.
I thank the Minister of State and the Minister for Health. I know she put a lot of work into this because the Italian company really did not want to talk to us at the start and she reached out to it. We all know the assessment has to be done. I am glad that the drugs group met yesterday but it is crucial we get this medicine over the line for these children. There is one child in Donegal, Nathan, getting it across the Border, where Dermot cannot get it. This is totally wrong. We need to get this sorted as soon as possible.
I thank the Minister of State for her reply and I understand all the work that has in. It is over a year since the European drugs agency approved givinostat. I know the Minister has been negotiating with the Italian company but this has to happen sooner rather than later. There are over 200 families awaiting this news. It is a crucial time. I hope there will be a good result in the next couple of days.
I thank the Senators for highlighting this. As I said, the Minister for Health has been working and engaging with the HSE and the Departments on this. I assure them of the importance of this for patients with DMD in Ireland. It is important for families. It affects everyone. The HSE has sole statutory responsibility for making decisions on which medicines are reimbursed. The HSE continues to process and assess pricing reimbursements in applications received from a company as efficiently as possible within the resources available to it. The application remains under consideration and the HSE cannot make any commitment or possible outcomes from the outgoing process. Meetings are going on. The latest update on the process can be found on the HSE medicines tracker and on the NCPE website.
As I outlined earlier, this Government is committed to investing in medicines. Since 2021, the HSE has approved 270 new medicines or new use of existing medicines for reimbursement. The two new framework agreements have been reached with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association and Medicines for Ireland on the price and supply of medicines. It will make a difference. As part of these agreements, the State, MFI and IPHA have agreed to develop a future strategic partnership which will support the Department of Health in its development of a pilot early access programme focused on rare diseases in line with commitments in the programme for Government.
I was recently in Brussels and we spoke about rare diseases. As the Minister and other Ministers have said, Ireland is always open for business. Once a drug is granted marketing authorisation, we strongly encourage all pharmaceutical companies to apply for reimbursement here in Ireland and to submit fully prepared HTA dossiers in a timely fashion. That is what we need to get out there. We are always open and we want that to happen.
Health Services
The Minister of State is very welcome to the Seanad, as always. Balbriggan is the youngest and fastest-growing town in Ireland. It has a population of over 26,000 and is expanding. A lot of housing is going into Balbriggan at the moment. The wider catchment area has a population of over 63,000, including the towns of Skerries, Lusk and Rush. It is the furthest town in Dublin from a hospital, sitting at 32 km from Beaumont Hospital. A minor injuries unit is badly needed in the town of Balbriggan. I attended a very well attended public meeting on Monday night in Balbriggan organised by Balbriggan Community Council. The strong message from the people of Balbriggan is that a minor injuries unit is needed without further delay.
A primary care centre was opened in 2018. The minor injuries unit would be ideally located there to look after sprains, broken bones, minor burns, sports injuries, cuts and wounds. That was promised for the primary care centre in 2018. Other services are located in the primary care centre but there is spare capacity. GP services, a public health nurse, physiotherapy, community mental health services, speech and language therapies and a number of other services are currently provided in the building but there is capacity. I believe the children's disability service is moving from this location to a separate location because it is expanding, which is very welcome. That will free up extra capacity within the primary care centre building.
We know healthcare delivered closest to the community is best for people. It is the most cost-effective way to deliver healthcare. It is one of the core principles of Sláintecare, as the Minister of State would know. The reduction of unnecessary hospital trips is a core aim, with as much healthcare delivered close to home in the community and patient-focused, which will also reduce costs. We know fractures are increasing as the population gets older. If an older person suffers a fracture, it could be very distressing for them to have to travel 32 km to the emergency department in Beaumont Hospital to get it taken care of when they could attend a primary care centre with a minor injuries unit in their own town. That is what we want delivered for the people of Balbriggan. As I said, Balbriggan is the youngest town in Ireland.
We know young people get all sorts of bangs and fractures through sport and playing. For the convenient provision of healthcare in the community, a minor injury unit would work well in the town of Balbriggan and to serve the population of 63,000 people in the other towns in its hinterland. This unit needs to be delivered. We need to take people out of the likes of Beaumont Hospital and out of emergency departments; cut down on costs, ultimately; and deliver healthcare in the community.
I thank Senator Clifford-Lee for raising this important issue. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.
This Government remains fully committed to delivering healthcare reform under the Sláintecare framework, ensuring that people receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time. A key part of our hospital-avoidance strategy is the continued development of injury units. Injury units provide safe, convenient care for non-life-threatening injuries such as broken bones, sprains and burns, as the Senator spoke about. They deliver the same level of care for these conditions as an emergency department, but closer to home and with significantly shorter waiting times. Last year, there were 222,697 attendances at injury units, a 5% increase on 2024. The median patient experience time, PET, remains exceptionally low, at just 1.3 hours. To the end of May this year, there have been 95,803 attendances nationally, a 1% increase on the same period in 2025, and the PET has improved further to 1.2 hours.
The Balbriggan primary care centre already provides a wide range of integrated services, including primary care therapies, specialist teams for older people, chronic disease management and mental health and disability services. It also hosts two GP practices and a pharmacy. The Minister is committed to expanding capacity in primary care by recruiting additional staff and supporting advanced practice roles in the community. The HSE completed a national injury unit review in 2023 to assess service levels and geographical coverage. This review informed the 2026 national service plan, which includes new units in Tallaght, Athlone, Carlow and Ballina.
In relation to the Senator's request for a minor injury hub in Balbriggan, I must advise that there are currently no plans to open an injury unit there. The focus of the 2026 service plan is on the four new units previously identified. However, the HSE continues to review expansion needs and is working to future-proof the system by standardising opening hours to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week across existing sites. Residents in Balbriggan currently have access to several options for non-life-threatening injuries, including the Mater Smithfield rapid injury clinic in Dublin 7 and Connolly Hospital emergency department, which includes a dedicated nurse-led minor injury unit. The Department and the HSE will continue to monitor population growth and geospatial needs to ensure that our urgent care footprint evolves in line with the needs of communities like Balbriggan.
The Government and the Minister remain committed to the implementation of the national cancer strategy and to building on significant investment and progress already made in improving outcomes for patients in Ireland.
I am very disappointed to hear the response from the Minister of State. I know there are no current plans to open a minor injury hub in Balbriggan. The Minister of State referred to Tallaght, Athlone, Carlow and Ballina, but we need to look to the future and the population demands. For the people of Balbriggan, the Smithfield rapid injury clinic and Connolly Hospital are even further away than Beaumont Hospital. It is completely unacceptable that a large population in north County Dublin is left without a basic service promised back in 2018. It is no good to the people in Balbriggan, Lusk, Rush or Skerries to hear that Tallaght, Athlone, Carlow and Ballina are getting minor injury units. We need one.
I am going to engage with the Minister of State and the Minister to make sure Balbriggan is put on the agenda for the next review. I suppose the tiny light at the end of the tunnel is that the HSE continues to review expansion needs. I am going to be advocating and making a very strong case until we deliver a minor injury unit for Balbriggan.
I thank the Senator. I understand the importance of minor injury units. They are critical. This Government remains committed to ensuring patient services and safe, timely and convenient care are provided in the right place at the right time. That is so important.
Last year, as I said, the injury units saw over 220,000 attendees, a 5% increase on 2024. This reflects growing public confidence in this model. Injury units continue to provide a fast and efficient pathway for non-life-threatening injuries. While, as we said, there is no plan now for a stand-alone minor injury unit for Balbriggan, the opening hours are being looked at. That is important. It is proposed that they would be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.
I know what the Senator said in relation to opening new units in Tallaght, Athlone, Carlow and Ballina.
People are not going to be going up to County Mayo for a fracture.
I understand. I do. In the meantime, Balbriggan primary care unit continues to play a vital role. I compliment everybody involved in that unit. We understand that these units and injury clinics are so important. They deliver integrated services from chronic disease management to older persons specialist teams to mental health and disability supports. As we all know, people are living longer, so it is important they can access services nearer to home and their communities.
The Department and the HSE will continue to monitor the population trends and service requirements to ensure that urgent and emergency care services evolve to meet the needs of the people in Balbriggan. The Senator can be sure that I will be speaking to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, on this issue. It is important that we have injury units and clinics. While Balbriggan has a very good service, it is important that the situation is monitored.
Building Regulations
Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Dooley. I call Senator Costello.
I thank the Minister of State for being here. I welcome the opportunity to raise this important issue concerning tactile paving, dished crossings and the safety of blind and visually impaired people when navigating our streets and communities.
I am raising this matter on behalf of one of my constituents from Tallaght, Mr. Vincent Stack, who is part of an organisation called Voice of Vision Impairment. Mr. Stack is blind, and to better understand his concerns, I walked a number of routes with him in Tallaght so I could experience first-hand the challenges blind people face every day. I can tell the House now that it was a nerve-wracking experience for me.
To be honest, I had never heard of tactile paving and I had never really given much consideration to the obstacles faced by people with visual impairments. What stuck out for me was inconsistency. Within a short walking distance, different types of tactile paving were in use. As Vincent explained, some were easy to detect and provided clear information, while others were not as noticeable. For a sighted person, this may seem like a minor issue, but for a blind person, it can mean the difference between feeling safe and confident or feeling uncertain and vulnerable.
This is why I am asking the Minister of State whether there is an agreed national specification or standard for the sourcing and installation of tactile paving slabs and dished crossings across Ireland. Tactile paving is not simply a different type of surface. For blind and visually impaired people, it provides essential information. It tells them they are approaching a crossing point, identifies potential hazards and helps them to navigate independently. When tactile paving varies from one location to another, that information becomes less reliable.
One issue Vincent highlighted repeatedly was that many blind people feel they are constantly forced to second-guess themselves. When standing at a crossing, they should know immediately that they have arrived at a crossing point. They should not have to stop and question whether the paving beneath their feet is intended to indicate a crossing or whether it is simply another type of paving finish. Vincent pointed to the tactile paving outside the Maldron Hotel on the N81 in Tallaght as the best example he has encountered anywhere in this country. In his view, the height of the raised bumps and the spacing between them makes the surface much easier to identify underfoot. The tactile information is clear, distinct and immediately recognisable. He believes that this is exactly how tactile paving should function. When he stands on those slabs, he knows where he is and does not have to second-guess himself. By way of contrast, he showed me other locations where the tactile paving is so shallow or inconsistent that it provides little meaningful information.
For people with conditions such as diabetic neuropathy, which can reduce sensation in the feet, this issue is even more significant and can go hand in hand with blindness. If tactile indicators are not sufficiently pronounced, they may fail to provide the information they were designed to communicate.
The difference between knowing and guessing is significant. It is the different between confidence and anxiety. It is the difference between independence and having to rely on assistance. It is ultimately a matter of safety. I understand technical considerations are involved and that achieving consistency nationwide cannot happen overnight. However, Ireland has standards for electrical installations, building regulations, road markings and countless other aspects of public infrastructure. It is very reasonable of me to ask whether the same approach should apply to tactile paving and dished crossings.
If a national standard does not currently exist, I believe one should be developed in consultation with blind and visually impaired people. I can bring a lot of them to the table. Vincent himself has suggested that blind people should be involved in assessing and testing the different tactile paving designs before standards are adopted, ensuring that decisions are informed by those who rely on them every day. From speaking to Vincent, I know that among the blind and visually impaired community these concerns are widely shared. It is not an isolated issue affecting one individual; it is affecting thousands of them. A clear national standard should be incorporated into all new public realm projects, road upgrades and pedestrian infrastructure works. Over time, that would lead to greater consistency across the country and would ensure future generations of blind and visually impaired people encounter the same clear and reliable information when they travel. It is ultimately about safety, dignity and independence.
I welcome our dear friend, former Deputy Humphreys. I think he was a Member of this House as well. He is coming back to check up on us today. It is good to see him here with his colleagues. It is good to have him in the House.
I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. The National Standards Authority of Ireland, NSAI, is Ireland’s national standards body operating under the National Standards Authority of Ireland Act 1996. The NSAI is under the remit of the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. The NSAI develops standards for products and services upon request of industry, regulators or policymakers. Indigenous standards may be promulgated, produced or developed where no existing international or European standards have been adopted or proposed.
The National Standards Authority of Ireland has confirmed to the Department that there is an Irish standard recommendation, reference No. SR CEN/TS 15209:2021, which relates to tactile paving surface indicators produced from concrete, clay and stone. This standard specifies the method of measurement and the acceptance criteria for the dimensions for surface profile features and patterns for the surface of pedestrian paving units, used to convey information for visually impaired people. It applies to paving units made of concrete, clay and stone where the tactile profiles are monolithic with the unit. The surface profiles are intended to be applied to units manufactured to IS EN 1338:2003 and IS EN 1339:2003. There are other standards from 2012 and 2013, which I will provide to the Senator, which can be square or rectangular as specified by the designer. It does not specify dimensions of a single tactile paving layout or profile but proposes ranges within which these dimensions should fall, which I think, if I heard the Senator correctly, would indicate that, notwithstanding the fact that a standard is in place, there is a variance in it and that is what is causing the most difficulty for the constituent. It proposes methods of measurement of profiles, light reflectance and colour but does not specify requirements for these characteristics. These properties will be decided by the designer, taking into account the regulations, codes of practice and guidance in the place of use of the units. It does not specify material characteristics.
This Irish standard recommendation - SR CEN/TS 15209:2021 - is the national adoption of the European technical specification developed and published by CEN, the European Committee for Standardisation. All European standards are adopted as national standards. CEN is a European standardisation organisation designated under EU regulation 1025/2012 that brings together the national standards bodies of 34 European countries, of which the NSAI is the Irish national standards body.
It should be noted that the paving slabs are required to be CE marked in accordance with the construction products regulation citations of 2003, 2012 and 2013, depending on the base material of paving element. It is the understanding of the Department that guidance in the use of tactile paving surface indicators is provided in the design manual for urban roads and streets, DMURS. This DMURS document dates from 2013 and was prepared collaboratively by the Department of Transport and the then Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.
I thank the Minister of State. I now see where the problem lies. I want to put on the record that I have huge issues with the DMURS. They would be better placed, instead of narrowing roads and junctions and making them totally uncomfortable for people to drive on, to focus on tactile paving and to have a standardised approach in order that blind people can navigate their communities safely. DMURS needs to be revisited. I appreciate the Minister of State coming in and providing all the information but, at the end of the day, I walked around with a man who was blind and it was just unfair. There were all different styles. There should be one type of tactile paving. There should be an agreed style. DMURS needs to be revisited because it is not up to scratch if blind people are being let down. They are spending thousands in Tallaght narrowing our roads and junctions in housing estates unnecessarily. I walked around with a blind man in Tallaght. I asked Vincent not to be knocked down while he was with me. The audio at traffic lights was turned off. How are the man and his dog meant to know when to cross? DMURS drives me mad. I had to get that off my chest.
I thank the Senator. I get it. I can tell by her that she is passionate about this because she has seen what she perceives to be a failure by all concerned to provide safe passage insofar as we can for somebody who is visually challenged. It is about having a joined-up system. I am happy to work with the Senator to get her introductions in the Department of housing, which has a responsibility to the local authority, the Department of Transport, etc., to try to get some coherence to this. The standards are a good idea. Sometimes people deviate from that because there is a broad range. At a minimum, what we would like to see is that if somebody in Tallaght goes for a purposed walk somewhere and take a bus somewhere else, when they get off the bus or even on their walk from one end of Tallaght to the other, that there is a uniformity there. It is challenging enough for people. The Senator's colleague, Senator Conway, has done a lot. He is part of the NCBI. I know it advocates regularly. There may be an opportunity there because Members work well in this House on a cross-party basis. There may be an opportunity for a number of Members to work together and take this on as a project that could hopefully have a positive outcome on the other end. I thank the Senator for her advocacy in this area. It is noted and welcomed.
Before we move to our next Commencement matter, I welcome two guests in the Visitors' Gallery - Diarmuid Cronin and Elizabeth Barron from Rylane, County Cork. Tá fáilte rompu. I see they are in the safe hands of my colleague, Deputy Aindrias Moynihan. I hope they enjoy their day.
Schools Building Projects
Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Newtown School, over two and a quarter centuries old, has served Waterford and the wider region for nearly 228 years, rooted in a strong Quaker tradition of inclusive, rounded and child-centred education. The school entered the free education scheme in 2014, and, at the request of the Department of Education at the time, agreed to expand to accommodate 600 students with the necessary accommodation and infrastructure to be delivered through the Department of Education's ADAPT 2018 capital programme. This project has been in progress for over a decade, as I have said, and now reaches stage 2b detailed design. It has secured the key statutory approval required to move forward.
Significant public money has already been invested. Professional fees on the main building project alone are approximately €1.315 million including VAT. It is, therefore, not at an early stage. It is a long-developed and approved project that now requires immediate Department of education authorisation to progress to tender and construction. The school is now under increasing pressure due to the deteriorating condition of its existing buildings, urgent health and safety concerns and the serious risk that any further delay by the Department of Education and Youth could undermine the viability of the overall development project. In particular, the Penn, Webster and Glynn classroom buildings, which are scheduled for demolition as part of the proposed new extension, may require substantial external and internal upgrade works if the project is delayed further. This would result in avoidable expenditure on buildings that are ultimately intended to be replaced, placing additional financial and operational pressure on the school and indeed on the taxpayer. I am asking for movement on the Newtown School. I ask that the Department of Education and Youth prioritises the Newtown School development project, that it approves progression to tender and construction without undue further delay and authorises urgent emergency works to address immediate health and safety concerns that are manifest. I look forward to the Minister of State's reply and of course, in due course, his support.
I thank the Senator for raising this matter as it provides me with an opportunity on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth to outline to the Seanad the current position in relation to the major funding project for Newtown School. The project involves the redevelopment of Newtown School to provide accommodation for a long term enrolment of 600 students. The existing shared campus will be reorganised and extended to complement the historic architecture that the Senator identified. The project involves a significant expansion to the existing school building to include a new PE hall facility and the special education needs suite. An enabling work contract to provide additional accommodation was completed in February 2025. The major building project for the school referred to by the Senator is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning, namely, stage 2B detailed design, where the design team has secured all statutory approvals and is preparing the suite of tender documents. It is an important phase of the process.
This building is of significant conservation importance as highlighted by the planning authority. The design team outlined the proposal of works that need to be completed to improve the condition of the deteriorating buildings, thereby allowing the council to grant an extension to the planning of five years. A planning extension was secured and enabling works were approved for the link building roof in September 2025. The design team prepared and submitted to the Department for review the tender documents to appoint a contractor to carry out these works. These tender documents were recently approved by the Department and the design team was instructed to proceed in issuing the letter of intent to the successful contractor. This letter of intent issued in April this year. Once works commence on the site it is envisaged it will take four to five months to complete. A total capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth has been confirmed for the period from 2026 to 2030 under the national development plan. As part of this NDP allocation the Department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs.
In relation to project roll-out for large-scale projects and additional school accommodation scheme projects, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project roll-out over the course of the 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs. Prioritisation will continue to identify further tranches of projects to proceed to tender and construction over the NDP period with stakeholder consultation to commence in June 2026.
Since 2020, the Department of education has provided €149.65 million in capital funding for Waterford schools. Over this period, a total of 33 schools have been upgraded either through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. Two school projects were included in the NDP implementation plan to go to tender or construction in 2026 and 2027. There are currently six school projects in Waterford under construction. This summer, seven schools are approved to undergo works as part of the climate action summer works scheme. In addition, since 2020 a total of 68 special classes have been sanctioned in Waterford, of which 17 were sanctioned for September 2026.
I thank the Minister of State. As I mentioned, the school was opened in 1798, the year of the 1798 Rising. Over the two and a quarter centuries it has seen significant historical events in Waterford and Ireland, most noticeably the transition with Independence from a Quaker school to being a supplier of education to the south east, while also keeping very close to the Quaker tradition of industry, hard work and respect for human dignity and human rights. As well as that, it is an architectural gem in the south east. Whereas the Newtown School board of management members look with great pride on their history, they would love to look with confidence to the future. That cannot be attained without the support of the Minister of State and his colleagues. What he said here this morning gives a ray of hope. I thank him for that. I ask him to do everything possible to progress the ambitions of this famous and noteworthy school.
I can see the Senator is passionate about this project, as he is about many issues. It is clear that because of the historical context, all concerned are anxious that it is done correctly. That is why the contract is under way for the enabling works and all of that. Like many projects it is on a journey now that will be irrevocable in terms of the staging. It has reached significant milestones and from my experience both in here and in the other House over 23 or 24 years, when projects get on that pathway, sometimes it takes a bit longer because of funding that has to be assigned based on various prioritisations, but once it gets through that first significant gate it is a significant step. It is now on a journey that we all hope will progress as judiciously and as expeditiously as possible. It will give the Senator and the community there these facilities. From my experience in my own area I know that the fact that part of the focus is on special needs adds considerably to the prioritisation because the Government has been very clear in terms of what our focus is on education generally but more specifically on children with special needs and ensuring that they get every resource possible to assist them on their journey. Together with everything else the Senator identified, that gives a significant boost to what will be a protracted journey. It is moving in the right direction.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 11.19 a.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 11.32 a.m.
Sitting suspended at 11.19 a.m. and resumed at 11.32 a.m.