Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 January 2026
553. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has secured a permanent site for a school (details supplied) which has been in interim accommodation for approximately 20 years; whether the school is included on any current or forthcoming school building programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3913/26]
View answerMy Department has reviewed a number of options for a permanent solution for the school referred to by the Deputy. This has involved engagement with a number of other stakeholders.
My Department has been in contact with the patron of the school to keep them updated and will update the patron directly on the current position.
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 1,300 school building projects including for new schools under the patronage of Education Together.
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 my 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. The application from the school referred to by the deputy will be considered in this context.
The sectoral NDP Implementation plan for the Education and Youth sector will be published shortly including the first tranche of projects to progress to construction. 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.
