Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 January 2026
48. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide an update on the expected timeline for commencement of construction of the new school building (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6671/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to Laois Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB).
The brief for Dunamase College is to provide a new post primary school building to accommodate a long-term projected enrolment of 1,000 pupils and also a 6 classroom Special Education Needs base.
The project is currently at Stage 2b of the architectural design process. This allows for detailed design and planning, obtaining the necessary statutory permissions and the preparation of tender documents. A Planning Permission application is currently with Laois County Council.
While at this early stage it is not possible to provide a timeline for completion of this project, LOETB will continue to engage directly with the school authorities to keep them fully informed of progress on this important project.
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, 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 2025/26 are being facilitated in repurposed classroom accommodation.
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.
The NDP Implementation Plan for the Education and Youth sector along with the first tranche of projects to progress to tender and/or construction during 2026 and 2027 has been published. 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.
