Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 January 2026
488. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of a building project for a school (details supplied); the current stage of the project within her Department’s planning and delivery process; when her Department last engaged with the school’s board of management; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5776/26]
View answerThe building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at Stage 3 of architectural planning - Tender Award stage. The project will deliver a new 8 classroom primary school and accommodation, including 2 classrooms for children with special educational needs.
The design team have carried out their assessment of tenders for the main contractor, and a Letter of Intent (LOI) has issued to the preferred tenderer. This allows the preferred tenderer to put in place the Bond, Insurances, and confirmations of all legal arrangements required under the Contract.
The next step will be the submission of the supplementary tender report from the design team to my department. Upon receipt and review of the report, my department will advise the design team and school authorities regarding the progression of the project.
My department has regular monthly engagement with the patron body and will continue to update the school and it's patron body on the project progress and next steps.
My Department's National Development Plan (NDP) Implementation 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.
