Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 January 2026
1123. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if consideration will be given to a request from a school (details supplied) for replacement of a prefab with a modular building, given the prefab is not now fit for purpose; and replacement would assist the school in providing education to more children with additional needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74699/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm to the Deputy, that approval was given to the school in question for the delivery of 4 Mainstream classrooms, 3 Special education tuition rooms, 2 Special education classrooms, 1 UAWC by traditional build with repurposing to create 1 Special education classroom. This project has been devolved to the school authorities for delivery.
The purpose of the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school's existing accommodation.
My department is not in receipt of any application from the school in question for replacement of the prefab. It is open to the school to apply for the replacement of the prefab under the ASA scheme.
Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our school throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. In addition, repurposing and optimisation of existing accommodation capacity across the school estate has been a key enabler of timely, local provision of special class capacity in a way that supports best practice in inclusion and integration. Circa 80% of new special classes in 2025/2026 are facilitated in repurposed classroom accommodation.
In July 2025 the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026-2030 under the NDP. As part of this NDP allocation the department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special education needs, with a particular focus on meeting 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 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 shortly 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.
In relation to the matter of the location of the 2 modular units for 2 Special education classrooms, I can confirm that department officials have been engaging with the school authorities over the last few months and remain available to engage with them in relation to agreeing the location for same. I can assure the Deputy that my department is very cognisant of the requirement around the delivery of accommodation for the school in question and is working to advance matters as quickly as possible.
