Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 December 2025
407. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on plans to demolish and rebuild schools (details supplied); in particular, the reason the stage 2A review has been delayed; when will it be completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71018/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe joint major building project for the schools referred to by the deputy are currently at Stage 2(a) of Architectural Planning - Developed Design - which is a crucial element of the architectural planning process as it is at this stage that the design is developed to a stage where it can be fully cost planned and prepared to lodge for statutory approvals.
Upon receipt of the revised Stage 2(a) Report my Department officials carried out an initial review and arranged an architectural workshop with the Design Team Lead in May 2025 to discuss further.
In early June 2025 a further meeting was held with the wider Design Team, school authorities and Department officials in attendance. At that meeting the school were provided with a progress update and advised that the Design Team are due to submit an Addendum S2a Report to my Department in late June.
The outstanding information for the Addendum Stage 2a Report for the joint major building project was received in my Department on 31st October 2025.
Department officials will carry out a full review of the Addendum Report however, it is not possible, at present, to provide a timeframe for the completion of that review.
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.
Government departments are currently in the process of publishing their sectoral NDP Implementation Plans. The sectoral plan for the Education and Youth sector will be published next week and the first tranche of projects to progress to construction will be published in January. This NDP Implementation 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.
