Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 January 2026
524. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the grant schemes that schools can apply for to develop their sporting and recreational facilities; the application process for these; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6054/26]
View answerInvestment and expenditure on sports facilities in both primary and post-primary schools is an element of the overall expenditure and investment in the School Building Programme. Practically all schools have outdoor play areas and many schools use adjacent local community facilities. The provision of outdoor play areas form part of the accommodation brief for all new school buildings or where a major building or refurbishment project is being delivered for an existing school. Co-operation between schools and local sporting organisations in sharing their sporting facilities provides opportunities to apply for sports grants including the Sports Capital Grant administered by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. The provision of capital funding for outdoor recreation facilities is just one way in which we support increased physical activity. The redeveloped primary curriculum specification for physical education extends the time available for PE with a particular emphasis on community partnerships and the use of the outdoor environment generally.
Following a total capital allocation of €1.6 billion for 2025, the Government announced a further 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. 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 NDP Implementation Plan for the Education and Youth sector and the first tranche of projects to progress to tender and construction will be published by my department shortly. This 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. Funding will also be invested to support curricular delivery and well-being across schools by prioritising the development of Physical Education halls and sporting facilities (including yards and play areas) for schools in conjunction with the Sports Capital Fund to deliver for both schools and communities.
My Department's Climate Action Summer Works Scheme provides a mechanism for school authorities to make small-scale improvements to school buildings and also the schools external areas such as outdoor play areas. Schools can also use their minor works grant to upgrade outdoor play areas while repairs to existing areas may be considered under the department’s Emergency Works Scheme.
