Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 April 2026
82. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will visit a school (details supplied) to view the unacceptable conditions for the children, teachers and staff at the school and to advise them on the way in which plans can be advanced for a new school on the new site offered free of charge to the State, within the town boundaries of Milford. [28754/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy department received an application for large scale capital funding from the school referred to by the Deputy. The department has corresponded extensively with the school following this application including a recent meeting with the Patron and other school representatives. The Patron undertook to review enrolment patterns in the area including the sustainability of a significant cohort of the school's current enrolment coming from areas served by other schools with existing capacity.
The school already received significant capital funding in its current location, although it has also refused proposed investment in the existing school which the Department believes would have dealt with some of the more immediate issues for the school pending the requested review of its enrolment policy and its decision to act as a base for support teachers in the area.
All applications from schools for major capital works must be considered in the context of capacity requirements and climate action commitments. The plan for identifying opportunities to transform existing schools at national scale will be informed by the outcome of an Energy and Condition survey of all schools which is due for completion this year. The subsequent analysis of this significant amount of data will help determine priorities going forward in relation to retrofit and refurbishment projects. The process may ultimately identify a requirement for the replacement of some accommodation, but this is not expected to be widespread. This overall process is particularly valuable in facilitating a proportionate assessment of a school’s accommodation upgrade needs relative to all other schools and allow an effective prioritisation of capital investment.
The NDP Implementation Plan for the Education and Youth sector 2016-2030 involving €7.5 billion along with the first tranche of projects to progress to tender and/or construction during 2026 and 2027 was published in January 2026. 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.
