Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 March 2026
511. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide targeted support for the servicing and maintenance of heat pumps in small primary schools and expand access to energy-efficiency measures to reduce utility costs and ease pressure on general grants (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17029/26]
View answerThe Government is committed to increasing funding to support schools, and the Programme for Government commits to increasing capitation funding to schools of all types to ensure that schools can meet the day-to-day running costs.
The commitment in the Programme for Government builds on the progress which has been made in recent years. My department has secured €39 million in Budget 2026 towards increased capitation funding for primary, post-primary and special schools to provide additional financial support towards their running costs.
Maintenance requirements of heat pumps in schools is similar to that of other building services equipment, such as boilers and capitation funding is provided to support school operation costs, which include maintenance of building services.
The above additional funding will see an increase in the standard capitation rates paid to schools of €50 per pupil for primary schools from €224 to €274 and of €20 per student for post-primary schools from €386 to €406. This will also allow for an increase of €20 in capitation rates for Urban Band One DEIS primary schools, increasing the mainstream pupil rate in these schools to €294. The increased capitation rates will also see special schools now receive the same rates of capitation, for young people aged 12 and over, as for their peers in mainstream post-primary schools. This funding will benefit schools around the country in managing their day-to-day running costs. The increases announced in Budget 2026 are in addition to the 12% increases as part of Budget 2025. The last three Budgets have resulted in an increase in the level of capitation grant rates of 49.7% (€91) paid to primary schools and 28.5% (€90) paid to post-primary schools.
OGP frameworks are also available to schools for a number of categories including facilities management, managed services, professional services, and utilities. Schools should ensure that they are availing of these available OGP procurement frameworks in order to get the best value for money for all school expenditure. The benefits arising from these frameworks include cash savings, administrative savings from reduced duplication of tendering, greater purchasing expertise, improved consistency, enhanced service levels and legal certainty.
The Financial Support Services Unit (FSSU), funded by my department, is an important source of advice and support to schools on financial matters.
My Department also has a number of other initiatives available to schools to help reduce running costs, such as the Schools PV Programme, which is still open to the school to which the Deputy refers to avail of. The amount a school can save will depend on a number of factors. However, with 6Kw of PV panels, a typical school could expect to save in the region of €1,200-€1,600 per annum on their bill, when the credit they’ve earned for selling electricity to the grid is taken into account. Schools are able to choose an energy supply company offering the best value tariffs for both the import and export of electricity, with the opportunity to maximise their remuneration during the summer months and other times when the school is not occupied, under the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) scheme.
My Department also developed a Climate Action Summer Works Programme in 2025 for delivery from 2026. The Climate Action Summer works Scheme (CASWS) is an evolution of the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) which has a strong climate dimension and enables schools to undertake small and medium scale maintenance and improvement works such as attic and wall insulation, LED lighting, bike rack facilities to support active travel arrangements, the provision of EV chargers etc. as well as the traditional maintenance work associated with this scheme. The Scheme will facilitate multi-annual funding for schools, which is in line with the Programme for Government commitment to ensure that the Scheme operates every year to ensure good maintenance of school buildings.
