Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
445. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of request by school (details supplied) for a modular unit to accommodate a special class as an interim measure while the new build proceeds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73469/25]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy, that the school in question has been approved capital funding by my Department for a traditional build project consisting of 3x Special education classrooms 1x Mainstream classroom 1x Universal access toilet, 1x Science lab and preparation area, 1x Engineering room and student toilets. This project has been devolved to the school authorities for delivery and it is currently at stage 1. The school also has a project to repurpose existing school space to accommodate a special classroom and this is at stage 4.
My department is not in receipt of any application from the school in question for modular units to accommodate special classes. However, it is important to note that any modular provided for schools is considered a permanent accommodation solution and any traditional build project would have to be reduced accordingly to account for this.
Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving the completion of over 1,400 school building projects. Government support for this investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, has delivered real benefits for school communities. A recent Government decision has approved €210m supplementary capital funding for my department which brings the total capital allocation for 2025 for my department to €1.6 billion.
In July the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026-2030 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 rollout 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 rollout over the course of 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs.
Government departments are currently in the process of publishing their sectoral NDP Implementation Plans. The sectoral plan for the Education and Youth sector will be published shortly and the first tranche of projects to progress to construction will be published in January. This NDP Implementation Plan will optimise outputs from the NDP allocations, with a strong focus on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is insufficient, and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money, and meets functional needs.
I can assure the Deputy that my department is very cognisant of the requirement around the delivery of accommodation for the school in question and is working to advance matters. The provision of required school places, including for children with special educational needs, is a priority for my department. My officials are working to ensure that there is sufficient provision to meet the school place needs in the wider school planning area for future years.
