Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 February 2026
136. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education and Youth to publish the datasets that were used against the criteria her Department indicated were the determining factors for the selection of school construction projects in Limerick, as announced on 28 January 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13142/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy department’s NDP Sectoral Investment Plan 2026-2030 involves a very strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. 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. Over the course of 2026 and 2027 there will be construction work at circa. 10% of the school estate. These projects will, when completed, provide circa 57,000 additional and modernised school places with a strong SEN focus in all projects.
The first tranche of 105 projects covers the initial two-year period of NDP rollout. This list includes 5 projects in County Limerick.
There are also 10 schools in County Limerick approved to undergo works as part of the Summer Works Scheme / Climate Action scheme.
These projects are in addition to €293 million in capital funding for County Limerick schools between 2020 and 2025. Over that period, a total of 54 schools have been upgraded either through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. There are currently 6 school projects in County Limerick under construction.
Also, since 2020 a total of 103 special classes has been opened in Limerick, 12 of which were sanctioned for September 2026.
As part of the NDP Sectoral Investment Pan 2026-2030 the next tranche of projects will be finalised and published following a stakeholder engagement process to identify the next most urgent priorities. This stakeholder engagement will be undertaken in 2026 and 2027 and will include an assessment of how well existing capacity is maximised and enrolment policies and processes are prioritising local special education provision and mainstream requirements. The Department-led Energy and Condition Survey of the school estate, which will be finalised later in 2026, will provide an additional evidence base for assessing priorities.
The criteria for identifying the first tranche of 105 prioritised projects to go to construction / tender in 2026 and 2027 included the condition of the school, projects in areas with capacity pressures, growing demographics and projects in the pipeline for a long time.
The 105 prioritised projects consist of 80 large-scale and ASA (additional school accommodation) projects along with 25 projects to be delivered under the Modular Accommodation Programme.
The 80 large-scale and ASA projects are estimated to cost just under €1.6bn.
Of the 80 projects,
• 45 projects that are already at tender stage (Stage 3)
• 35 projects that have planning permission and are at pre-tender stage (Stage 2b).
Regarding the 45 projects that are currently already at tender stage (Stage 3), these projects are being progressed on a rolling basis to ensure that the Department of Education continues to operate within NDP funding parameters. These projects include 19 new school buildings of which the majority are either special schools or primary/post-primary schools that are currently operating from interim accommodation and have an urgent need for permanent accommodation.
Regarding the 35 projects that currently have planning permission and are at pre-tender stage (Stage 2b), these have been prioritised to meet urgent requirements from a special needs perspective or to provide additional capacity to cater for demographics or to address very significant condition issues at the schools. These projects include new school buildings for 12 schools – of which the majority of these schools are either special schools or primary/post-primary schools that currently are operating from interim accommodation and have an urgent need for permanent accommodation. It is envisaged that these projects will be progressed to tender over the course of 2026 and 2027 and within the context of NDP funding parameters.
The 25 modular projects primarily relate to additional SEN capacity for the 2026/27 school year. The number of modular projects is set to increase as further NCSE sanctions are issued. With over 301 SEN classes already approved for 2026/2027, additional projects will be prioritised to facilitate their opening through the Modular and SEN repurposing programmes.
