Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 May 2026
303. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide a list of all school building, extension, refurbishment and other capital projects delivered under the remit of her Department which have been completed on time and within budget in Dublin in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33823/26]
View answerSince 2020, the Department of Education has provided over €1.8bn in capital funding for Dublin schools. Over this period, a total of 253 schools have been upgraded either through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. There are currently 56 school projects in Dublin under construction.
Another 20 school projects will go to tender or construction in 2026 and 2027, and this summer, 53 schools are approved to undergo works as part of the Climate Action Summer Works Scheme.
In addition, since 2020, over 800 smaller-scale projects have been completed under schemes such as Summer Works Scheme, Climate programmes and Emergency Works Scheme. Since 2020, 401 special classes have been opened in Dublin of which 105 were sanctioned for September 2026.
Analysis of over 100 completed large-scale projects nationally indicates an average of circa. 10% increased expenditure over contract values. Previously a circa 5% uplift was average; however, additional capacity for special education has been a significant driver of this recent increase, in response to a huge increase in demand for special education provision in the last few years. Site specific issues have also had a role in increased costs.
The Deputy will appreciate that with the scale of the school building programme regarding projects completed since 2020, the dataset in relation to the specific questions is very substantial and would require individual project analysis. If the Deputy would like more specific information on an individual project/s, given that many projects are delivered on a devolved basis, my department can link in with the relevant school authorities for full details on same.
In relation to the specific questions raised by the Deputy, it is important to note that the status of all projects is set out at 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.
