Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 February 2026
625. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she can provide confirmation regarding the full scope of funding for a project (details supplied); if her Department intends to fund and deliver the project in line with its own original brief and the planning permission granted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10185/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school, referred to by the deputy, was approved to enter the department’s pipeline of school buildings under the Additional School Accommodation four classrooms with quiet spaces, a multi-activity room, and associated ancillary accommodation
A Stage 1 report was submitted to my Department in November 2024 and was reviewed from both a technical and cost perspective in accordance with the Public Spending Code. In January 2025, the Department approved the project to proceed to planning. As part of this approval, any works to the existing building that fell outside the agreed brief were to be omitted.
The school was approved to advance to Stage 2b (Developed Design) on the condition that the Department’s comments were incorporated. The Department is now awaiting a submission of the Stage 2b report reflecting these required amendments. All projects, including this one, are subject to the required due diligence as set out in the Department’s infrastructure guidelines. Managing timing, scope, and cost is crucial to staying within budgetary limits under the National Development Plan for the overall program.
As the Deputy will be aware, I have recently published the €7.55 billion NDP Sectoral Investment Plan for the Education and Youth Sectors for the period 2026 to 2030. This NDP Sectoral Plan involves a very strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. In this regard there will be a strong special education dimension to project rollout.
Of the total €7.55 billion investment it is envisaged that circa. €5 billion will be used for project rollout to support the delivery and modernisation of school buildings across the Large Scale, Additional Accommodation, Modular, and Annual September Accommodation Needs programmes.
My department will continue to build on the progress made over recent years with the continued rollout of these projects on a prioritised basis to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities. In this regard, I have also published a list of the 105 school building projects in the first tranche to proceed to construction or tender over 2026 and 2027.
The 105 prioritised projects will progress to tender and/or construction on a rolling basis over the course of 2026 and 2027 and within the context of NDP funding parameters. The timing of project progression will reflect the need to carefully manage the rollout of these projects to construction on a controlled basis to ensure that projects are delivered efficiently, align with the requirements of the Infrastructure Guidelines and Capital Works Management Framework and remain within the parameters of NDP funding.
Department officials will continue to engage closely patron bodies, management bodies and schools with respect to the timing of the progression of projects to tender and/or construction over the period 2026 to 2027. This will include continued engagement with this school with respect to the progression of its project to Tender.
