Niamh Smyth
Ceist:283. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on a project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67997/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 2 December 2025
Ceisteanna (283)
Freagraí scríofa
The school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the Departments pipeline of school buildings projects to provide the following accommodation: eight General Classrooms, four Special Education Tuition rooms, one Music Room, one Textiles Room, one Art Room, one Multimedia Room, two Science Laboratories and Preparation Area, one Library and a General Purpose/Dining Hall. The project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority.
A Stage 2b report was submitted to my Department in October 2025 and is currently undergoing a detailed review from a technical and cost perspective. Given the scale and complexity of this project the Stage 2b report will require a thorough and intensive review from both a technical and cost perspective in accordance with the requirements of the Public Spending Code. All projects, including this one, will undergo the necessary due diligence outlined in the Public Infrastructure Guidelines. Managing timing, scope, and cost is crucial to staying within budgetary limits for the overall program.
Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. Government support for this investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, has delivered real benefits for school communities. Supplementary capital funding of €210 million approved by Government has brought the total capital allocation for 2025 for my department to €1.6 billion.
In July the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth 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.
My department is now preparing an NDP implementation plan which is due for publication later in the year. This plan will optimise outputs from the NDP allocations, with a strong focus on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is insufficient, and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money, and meets functional needs.