Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 June 2026
346. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education and Youth when a Stage B review for a school (details supplied) will be completed; the expected date for the school to be given approval to proceed to tender; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47300/26]
View answerThe project to which the Deputy refers was approved to enter my Department's pipeline for a project under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The project will provide four special educational needs classrooms. The project is devolved to the school authority for delivery.
This project is currently at Stage 2b (detailed design) of the architectural design process. The Stage 2b report was submitted to my Department in March 2026 and was reviewed from both a technical and cost perspective. Comments and observations on the costs and tender documentation have recently issued to the school authority for management by their design team, and my Department currently awaits their response. Upon receipt, the submission will be reviewed in the context of the National Development Plan, with a view to advancing the project to the next stage.
More recently the provision of two special education needs classrooms (SEN) under my Department’s Devolved SEN Reconfiguration and Modular Accommodation programme was delivered at this school.
The €7.55 billion NDP Sectoral Investment Plan for 2026–2030 prioritises maximising existing school capacity and addressing the most urgent needs, with a strong focus on special education provision. Approximately €5 billion is allocated to school building projects, with construction activity planned across about 10% of the school estate in 2026–2027, delivering around 57,000 new and modernised places.
A first tranche of 105 projects has been identified to advance to tender or construction during this period. These include projects at both Stage 3 (tender) and Stage 2b (detailed design), which have been prioritised based on urgent capacity, condition, and special education needs.
This project forms part of the first tranche of the NDP programme and is scheduled to progress to tender and construction during 2026 and 2027.
