Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 March 2026
349. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline the decision making criteria and weighting used when selecting school building projects for prioritisation in the NDP sectoral plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17987/26]
View answer350. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which future school building projects will be prioritised for future rounds of NDP; the stakeholders that will be engaged and criteria that will apply; the date in Q2 when stakeholders will be engaged; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17988/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 349 and 350 together.
My department’s NDP Sectoral Investment Plan 2026-2030 involves a very strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. 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.
As part of the NDP Sectoral Investment Pan 2026-2030 the next tranche of projects will be finalised and published following a stakeholder engagement process to identify the next most urgent priorities. This stakeholder engagement will be undertaken in 2026 and 2027 and will include an assessment of how well existing capacity is maximised and enrolment policies and processes are prioritising local special education provision and mainstream requirements. 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.
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.
The first tranche of projects published included 25 modular projects, primarily aimed at increasing Special Educational Needs (SEN) capacity for the 2026/27 school year. This total is growing as the NCSE issues further approvals, with the number already rising to 31 projects. 351 SEN classes are already approved for 2026/2027; additional projects will be prioritised to facilitate their opening through the Modular and SEN repurposing programmes.
