Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 February 2026
351. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Youth if urgent steps will be taken to address the dangerous condition of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13760/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra352. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Youth to urgently put in place a major investment programme in County Kerry (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13767/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra353. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Youth to carry out an emergency health and safety audit of all school buildings and facilities in County Kerry (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13768/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 351 to 353, inclusive, together.
I should explain applications relating to the provision of funding for issues relating to an existing school building can fall under a number of different delivery mechanisms including, most frequently, the Summer Works Scheme and the Emergency Works Scheme.
The purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies. It does so by ensuring the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation.
An emergency is deemed to be a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or the environment, which is sudden, unforeseen and requires immediate action, and in the case of a school, if not corrected would prevent the school or part thereof from opening.
The EWS operates on the basis of the minimal scope of works required to remedy an emergency situation. The EWS usually provides an interim solution until such time as a comprehensive solution can be provided under the Summer Works Scheme (SWS).
The purpose of the SWS is to enable individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works on a devolved basis and, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school.
The Climate Action Summer Works Scheme (which was previously named the Summer Works Scheme) places a strong emphasis on sustainability. Schools can now undertake additional measures such as insulation upgrades, LED lighting installation, EV charger provision, bike rack facilities to support active travel and other climate-focused works alongside traditional maintenance.
The newly announced Climate Action Summer works opened for applications on the 1st May and the application window closed on the 30th of June 2025, full details of the scheme can be found at: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/services/summer-works-scheme/
The EWS is open for applications year-round. In the case of the school in question it should be noted that there are currently no outstanding EWS or SWS projects. It is open to the school to make an application under the most appropriate scheme.
Since 2020, my department has invested over €8.3m in our schools throughout the county Kerry under the Summer works scheme. Under the new Climate action Summer works scheme (CASWS) my Department have received 75 applications with an estimate costs of over €21m of which 13 were approved for 2026 at an estimated cost of almost €6m. Included in the announcement of projects approved for 2026 were an additional 7 projects in Kerry from a previous summer works scheme bringing the total number of projects approved for Kerry for 2026 to 20. The remaining projects under the CASWS for Kerry remain live and available for selection in the subsequent years of the scheme.
