Schools Building Projects

Thursday, 26 February 2026

Questions (343, 346)

Peter 'Chap' Cleere

Question:

343. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of all school building projects in Kilkenny; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15938/26]

View answer

346. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason many schools in Kilkenny awaiting school buildings were not included on the priority list or supplementary priority list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15941/26]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Education and Youth

I propose to take Questions Nos. 343 and 346 together.

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 Kilkenny. Additionally, 5 schools are approved to undergo works as part of the Climate Action Summer Works Scheme this summer.

These projects are in addition to €207.97 million in capital funding for County Kilkenny schools since 2020. Over that period, a total of 43 schools have been upgraded either through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. In addition, since 2020 a total of 45 special classes have opened in Kilkenny, 8 of which are sanctioned for September 2026.

There are also currently 5 school projects in County Kilkenny under construction.

The criteria for identifying the first tranche of 105 prioritised projects to go to construction / tender in 2026 and 2027 included the condition of the school, projects in areas with capacity pressures, growing demographics and projects in the pipeline for a long time.

The 105 prioritised projects consist of 80 large-scale and ASA (additional school accommodation) projects along with 25 projects to be delivered under the Modular Accommodation Programme.

The 80 large-scale and ASA projects are estimated to cost just under €1.6bn.

Of the 80 projects,

• 45 projects that are already at tender stage (Stage 3)

• 35 projects that have planning permission and are at pre-tender stage (Stage 2b).

Regarding the 45 projects that are currently already at tender stage (Stage 3), these projects are being progressed on a rolling basis to ensure that the Department of Education continues to operate within NDP funding parameters. These projects include 19 new school buildings of which the majority are either special schools or primary/post-primary schools that are currently operating from interim accommodation and have an urgent need for permanent accommodation.

Regarding the 35 projects that currently have planning permission and are at pre-tender stage (Stage 2b), these 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. These projects include new school buildings for 12 schools – of which the majority of these schools are either special schools or primary/post-primary schools that currently are operating from interim accommodation and have an urgent need for permanent accommodation. It is envisaged that these projects will be progressed to tender over the course of 2026 and 2027 and within the context of NDP funding parameters.

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 including those in County Kilkenny. 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 current status of all projects is set out, under item number ten, at the following link (www.gov.ie). This is updated on a regular basis to reflect project progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction.