Pádraig Mac Lochlainn
Ceist:328. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on the plans for the future development of a school (details supplied). [36503/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 14 May 2026
Ceisteanna (328)
Freagraí scríofa
The school to which the Deputy refers was approved to enter my Department's pipeline of projects under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme. The project will provide eight general classrooms, seven special education tuition (SET) rooms, a two classroom special education needs (SEN) base, two science labs and prep areas, one graphics room, one art room and project store, one music room, and one multimedia room. The project was devolved for delivery to Donegal Education and Training Board (DETB).
This project is currently at Stage 1 (Preliminary Design). The Stage 1 report has been submitted to my Department and is under review from both a technical and cost perspective. More recently, as part of this review process, a roof inspection was undertaken by department officials and the findings are currently being compiled for submission to the school.
All projects, including this one, are subject to the necessary due diligence as set out in the Public Infrastructure Guidelines. Careful management of timing, scope and cost is essential to ensure delivery within the overall budgetary parameters of the programme
Although this project is not within the first tranche of school building projects recently published in the NDP Sectoral Investment Plan, it remains part of my Department’s overall pipeline of school building projects. The 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.
As part of planning ahead for the next tranche of projects to progress to tender, the Department led prioritisation process will continue over the course of 2026 and 2027 to assess and evaluate the progression of individual projects through the design pipeline having regard to the continual need to maximise existing capacity and determine the prioritised needs going forward. This process will involve engagement with key stakeholders and individual schools and will ultimately inform the next tranches of programme rollout to tender. 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.
Based on this ongoing prioritisation process some projects may be added to the list over the course of 2026 and 2027 having regard to their prioritisation and urgency of need and taking account also of the ongoing ability to progress them to tender and construction within the parameters of overall funding. Where appropriate, my Department will also assess opportunities to undertake advance enabling works for the most urgent and complex projects to facilitate a smooth progression to construction in 2028 and beyond.
Any interim accommodation requirements will continue to be assessed and considered by my Department on a case-by-case basis to determine the prioritised needs and approach for addressing same.
The accommodation needs at this school will be considered as part of the ongoing overall department led prioritisation process, in consultation with the school’s patron and school authorities.