Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 February 2025
142. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Education when a new ASD classroom will become available in County Kildare (details supplied); the reason for the delay in opening the classes; the expected opening date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8376/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise that my Department has no current record of receiving an application for additional accommodation for a new ASD classroom at the school referred to by the Deputy.
Schools’ support for the establishment of special classes is very welcome and the Department commends any school who wishes to open a special class. However, an analysis of both the need for special class places and existing capacity in schools in the general area will first need to be completed before a decision can be made on a school’s application for additional accommodation. In this regard, the Department is working very closely with the NCSE to ensure that the most appropriate solution is identified with a view to providing the most immediate and cost effective accommodation solutions for the establishment of new special classes.
There is a Large Scale Major project at the school to provide an extension to cater for 1,000 pupils plus provision for special education needs classrooms, which has been devolved for delivery to Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB).
This project is currently at Stage 2b of the architectural planning process. The Stage 2b report has recently been received by the Department. Once the Stage 2b report is reviewed and approved, the next stage will be to tender for a contractor and onwards to construction in due course.
It is not possible to provide a timeline for the completion of the project, KWETB will continue to engage directly with the school authority to keep them informed of progress on this important project.
The current status of all projects is listed on a county by county basis at www.gov.ie. and this is updated on a regular basis and reflects progress through the various stages of appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction.
