Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 May 2026
119. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Education and Youth when additional space can be provided at a school (details supplied) to accommodate extra classrooms and additional ASD places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40550/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that my department is in receipt of applications for additional accommodation under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme from the school referred to by the deputy. The applications relate to accommodation for a second special class and additional mainstream accommodation.
The department has published the National Development Plan (NDP) Sectoral Investment Plan for the Education and Youth Sectors 2026-2030. 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 while within the allocated capital funding across all schools in the country.
This allows the department to keep a strong focus on the provision of additional capacity to cater for demographics, new housing developments and the roll-out of additional special classes for children with additional needs. This approach reflects the Department’s fundamental objective of ensuring the availability of a school place for every child.
The department will continue to build on the progress made over recent years with the continued rollout of projects on a prioritised basis to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities. In this regard, there will continue to be a strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity across the school estate and also ensuring that school admissions policies and processes are targeted at meeting local mainstream and special class requirements.
While primary enrolments have been in decline nationally for many years and this trend is set to continue, the NDP Plan will seek to optimise outputs from the capital allocation, 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.
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. It is within this context that a decision on the school’s application will be made. It should be noted that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the statutory agency with responsibility for the provision of special education places and it has been confirmed by NCSE that the school referred by the deputy has not been sanctioned a 2nd special education needs class.
My department is currently finalising the assessment of the school’s applications and the school will be contacted directly once a decision is made.
