Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 June 2025
973. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for detailed information on the six further education building projects marked as output targets for 2025; the reason there were no building projects planned for the years 2023 and 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32586/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise that the six further education and training projects referred to by the Deputy are being progressing under my Department’s Further Education and Training (FET) Strategic Infrastructure Upgrade Fund (SIUF). The projects are as follows:
Donegal ETB: Stranorlar FET Centre, Co. Donegal,
Galway Roscommon ETB: Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) HUB, Galway City,
Kilkenny Carlow ETB: Grennan College Equestrian Centre, Co. Kilkenny,
Louth Meath ETB: Drogheda Institute of Further Education, Co. Louth,
Mayo Sligo Leitrim ETB: Mohill FET Centre, Co. Leitrim,
Tipperary ETB: Carrick on Suir FET Centre, Co. Tipperary.
The Strategic Infrastructure Upgrade Fund (SIUF) was a programme call issued in February 2022 to support smaller-scale investments in existing FET infrastructure. The six SIUF projects, listed, progressed sufficiently to be marked as output targets for 2025.
The NDP provided, for the first time, a dedicated capital envelope amounting to €300m over the decade 2018-2027. Available funding increased from €5.5m in 2018 to the current allocation of €106.5m for 2025. The FET indicator is therefore new and, in that context, the values for 2023/2024 were required to be set at zero.
