Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 December 2025
408. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of new school development projects in County Galway currently at pre-stage 1 of the development process; the date each project commenced, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71024/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra409. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of new school development projects in County Galway currently at stage 1 of the development process; the date each project entered stage 1, in tabular form;; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71025/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra410. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of new school development projects in County Galway currently at stage 2A of the development process; the date each project entered stage 2A, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71026/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 408, 409 and 410 together.
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. In addition, over 200 SEN Repurposing projects have been delivered maximising the use of existing accommodation while creating opportunities for inclusion and integration.
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.
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.
My department has invested over €234m in capital expenditure since 2020 in Galway. This investment has supported the completion of 82 school building projects including 3 new school buildings. Currently 22 projects are in construction, of which 1 is a new school building.
The current status of all projects is set out under item number ten at the following link (www.gov.ie). This is updated on a regular basis to reflect project progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction.
Attached find a list of larges cale school building projects in County Galway at pre-stage 1, stage 1 and stage 2a. It should be noted that some projects may remain at a particular stage longer than anticipated due to a range of factors, including planning-related issues, challenges within the design process, and complex site conditions.
