Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 May 2026
306. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education and Youth when it is expected that a school (details supplied) will progress from Stage 2A to Stage 2B of the Department’s School Building and Capital Programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33877/26]
View answerThe school to which the Deputy refers was approved to enter my department's pipeline of school buildings under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme for a project providing 7 mainstream classrooms, 1 construction room, 1 graphics preparation area, 1 project store, 1 home economics room, 1 graphics room, a 4 classroom special educational needs base and repurposing works providing a science preparation area. The project is devolved to the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools for delivery.
A Stage 2a (developed design) report was submitted to the department and is under review. All projects, including this one, will undergo the necessary due diligence outlined in the Infrastructure Guidelines. Given the detailed nature of the evaluation process, the need to ensure full cost compliance, and the requirement to align the project with the prioritisation framework under the National Development Plan, this review process is necessarily thorough. Managing timing, scope, and cost is crucial to staying within budgetary limits for the overall programme.
Although this project is not within the first tranche of school building projects recently published in the NDP Sectoral Investment Plan, it remains part of the Department’s overall pipeline of school building projects. The 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.
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 this school will be considered as part of the ongoing overall department led prioritisation process, in consultation with the school’s patron and school authorities.
