Catherine Callaghan
Question:110. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on a school building project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13049/26]
View answerSchools Building Projects
Questions (110)
Written answers
The major project for the school referred to by the Deputy is for a new replacement school building and all associated site works to provide accommodation for a long term projected enrolment of 650 students.
The Existing temporary accommodation will be relocated on site as an enabling works contract prior to the commencement of the main contract for the new school building.
The major project is currently at Stage 2(b) of the architectural design process. Stage 2(b) involves detailed design, securing all statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documentation. Planning Permission was secured in March 2025.
My Department received the stage 2(b) submission report from the Design Team in October 2025 and it is currently under review.
As the Deputy will be aware, I have recently published the €7.55 billion NDP Sectoral Investment Plan for the Education and Youth Sectors for the period 2026 to 2030. This NDP Sectoral Plan involves a very strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. In this regard there will be a strong special education dimension to project rollout.
Of the total €7.55 billion investment it is envisaged that circa. €5 billion will be used for project rollout to support the delivery and modernisation of school buildings across the Large Scale, Additional Accommodation, Modular, and Annual September Accommodation Needs programmes. Over the course of 2026 and 2027 there will be construction work at circa. 10% of the school estate. These projects will, when completed, provide circa 57,000 additional and modernised school places with a strong SEN focus in all projects.
My department will continue to build on the progress made over recent years with the continued rollout of projects on a prioritised basis to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities. In this regard, I have also published a list of the 105 school building projects in the first tranche to proceed to construction or tender over 2026 and 2027. This list includes 3 projects in County Carlow.
These projects are in addition to €50.16 million in capital funding for Carlow schools between 2020 and 2025. Over that period, a total of 24 schools have been upgraded either through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. There are also currently 5 school projects in Carlow under construction.
The first tranche of 105 school building projects includes 80 large scale and Additional School Accommodation scheme projects. These projects were prioritised with a strong focus on maximising existing capacity and prioritising project rollout to meet the most urgent needs particularly to support special education needs provision.
Firstly, to facilitate the 45 projects that are currently already at tender stage (Stage 3) so that they can progress to construction as smoothly as possible over the course of 2026 and 2027. Secondly, to facilitate 35 projects that currently have planning permission and are at pre-tender stage (Stage 2b) and have been prioritised to meet urgent requirements from a special needs perspective or to provide additional capacity to cater for demographics or to address very significant condition issues at the schools.
I recognise that there are schools with important building projects that are not included in the first tranche of prioritised projects.
As part of planning ahead for the next tranche of projects to progress to tender, the department-led prioritisation process will continue over the course of 2026 and 2027 to assess and evaluate the progression of individual projects through the design pipeline having regard to the continual need to maximise existing capacity and determine the prioritised needs going forward. This process will involve engagement with key stakeholders and individual schools and will ultimately inform the next tranches of programme rollout to tender. The department-led Energy and Condition Survey of the school estate, which will be finalised later in 2026, will provide an additional evidence base for assessing priorities.
Based on this ongoing prioritisation process some projects may be added to the list over the course of 2026 and 2027 having regard to their prioritisation and urgency of need and taking account also of the ongoing ability to progress them to tender and construction within the parameters of overall funding. Where appropriate, the department will also assess opportunities to undertake advance enabling works for the most urgent and complex projects to facilitate a smooth progression to construction in 2028 and beyond.
Any interim accommodation requirements will continue to be assessed and considered by the department on a case-by-case basis to determine the prioritised needs and approach for addressing same.
The accommodation needs at St Mary's Academy CBS will be considered as part of the ongoing overall department-led prioritisation process, in consultation with the school’s patron and school authorities.
Question No. 111 answered with Question No. 86.
Schools Building Projects
Questions (112)
Catherine Callaghan
Question:112. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on a school building project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13051/26]
View answerWritten answers
The school to which the Deputy refers was granted capital funding for the provision of two Special Educational Needs (SEN) classrooms and two Mainstream Classrooms under my Department’s Devolved SEN Reconfiguration and Modular Accommodation Programme.
This programme involves the use of Project Management supports which is designed to enable the accommodation to be provided as quickly as possible and help ease the administrative workload for school authorities in relation to the management and delivery of projects. Kerrigan Sheanon Newman Project Management (KSN) has been appointed, from the Department’s Framework, to design and tender the project and oversee all elements of construction.
Phase 1 of the project which consisted of two Special Educational Needs (SEN) classrooms was completed in August 2025 . Phase 2 works which consist of conservation works to the existing protected structure and to provide two mainstream classrooms commenced on site in October 2025, following receipt of planning approval. The current target completion date is earmarked for Q2 2026.
My Department is fully aware of the urgency in respect of this accommodation and will be working closely with the project managers and the school authority to keep it updated on overall project delivery and timelines.
Question No. 113 answered with Question No. 86.
Question No. 114 answered with Question No. 86.
Question No. 115 answered with Question No. 86.