Malcolm Byrne
Question:322. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on a school building project (details supplied).; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53227/26]
View answerTuesday, 14 July 2026
Questions (322)
Written answers
The building project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) as part of a programme of school building projects (Project Dargle).
The brief is to provide a new build replacement post primary school for a long-term projected enrolment of 1,000 pupils including both general classrooms, specialist rooms, and a 4 class Special Education Needs (SEN) base.
The project is currently at Stage 2b of the architectural planning design process with a full grant of planning permission received for the school in 2024.
My department has a strongtrack recordof delivering the school building programme with over €7 billion invested since 2020.This has delivered approximately 1,400 completed school building projects and over 4,000 smaller-scale improvement projects. Over €276.10 million in capital funding has been invested in County Wicklow schools since 2020. Over this period, a total of 44 schools in County Wicklow have been upgraded either through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. There are also currently 9 school projects in County Wicklow under construction.
A total capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth has been confirmed for the period 2026-2030 under the National Development Plan. As part of this NDP allocation my department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs. In relation to project rollout for Large-Scale projects and Additional School Accommodation scheme projects, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project rollout over the course of 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs.
As part of the department-led prioritisation process underway for 2026 and 2027, consultation with school patrons began this month. A further tranche of priority projects is targeted for publication in 2027, informed by departmental analysis, engagement with patrons and schools, funding parameters, and—where relevant—the department’s energy and condition inventory of the school estate, due for completion by year-end.
The Department is also implementing a more strategic, data-driven approach to project appraisal and prioritisation. This includes the development of the School Profile Report, the formalisation of a clear prioritisation framework, and the use of demographic, capacity, energy and condition data to guide decisions. These reforms will ensure that projects progress in a transparent, consistent and evidence-based manner.