Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2026
635. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she or her Department have received correspondence from a school (details supplied); if she has responded to this correspondence; if she will ensure a review of the matter raised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12100/26]
View answerI can confirm that the school in question initially applied under the department’s Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA) in 2018. An assessment deemed that the site was restricted and that additional lands were required to deliver this accommodation, and this application was withdrawn by the school authority.
A request to purchase additional lands was submitted by the school in 2021 and the acquisition of a 2.765 acres site adjacent to the school was completed at the end of May 2025.
In late 2024 the school in question submitted a revised ASA application for additional accommodation to meet their future needs.
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. Re-purposing and optimisation of existing accommodation capacity across the school estate has been a key enabler of timely, local provision of special class capacity in a way that supports best practice in inclusion and integration. To support the delivery of special classes in good time, a new streamlined approach to funding was made available to re-purpose existing accommodation for SEN in 2025. Further information on SEN re-purposing supports can be accessed on [www.gov.ie] (www.gov.ie/en/).
It is on this basis that my department is currently considering options to provide additional accommodation to this school. My department will contact the school authorities directly regarding how the requirements of the school community are best addressed.
