Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 March 2026
441. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on an application for modular units by a school (details supplied); when she expects such units to be in place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16450/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm to the Deputy that an application under the department’s Additional Schools Accommodation (ASA) Scheme was received from the school in question.
The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or by available accommodation at other schools in the area.
As the Deputy is aware, I have recently published the NDP (National Development Plan) Sectoral Investment Plan for the Education and Youth Sectors. 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. Twelve school?projects in the county referred to by the deputy were included in the 105 prioritised projects in the first tranche of projects to progress to tender or construction over the course of 2026 and 2027. This list of projects were prioritised from those projects in the department’s pipeline which were sufficiently advanced to enable them to go to tender or construction over the course of 2026 and 2027.
A department-led prioritisation process will continue over the course of 2026 and 2027 to assess and evaluate the progression of individual projects. This process will involve engagement with key stakeholders and individual schools.
I can confirm that the application from the school in question is currently being considered in the above context and once a decision has been made the school authority will be contacted directly.
