Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 January 2026
496. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of a school’s (details supplied) application for additional schools’ accommodation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5861/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school to which the Deputy refers was approved to enter my Department's pipeline for a project under the Additional School Accommodation scheme. The project will provide six general classrooms (three prefab replacement), one technology room with preparation room, one science laboratory with preparation area, one home economics room, one project store and a four classroom special educational needs (SEN) base.
The Stage 2a (developed design) report for the project was received by my Department in July 2025 and is currently being reviewed 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.
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 National Development Plan. As part of this NDP allocation the 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.
The NDP Implementation Plan for the Education and Youth sector and the first tranche of projects to progress to construction will be published by the Department shortly. 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.
