Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2026
457. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current status of the proposed extension project at a school (details supplied); the stage of the approval process the project has reached; when her Department expects to complete its review of the Stage 2A submission received in July 2025; the timeframe envisaged for progression to planning and tender stages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45205/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school to which the Deputy refers was approved to enter my Department's pipeline for a project under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme. The project will provide six general classrooms (three prefab replacements), one technology room with a preparation room, one science laboratory with a preparation area, one home economics room, one project store, and a four-classroom special educational needs (SEN) base. The project was devolved to the school authority for delivery.
This project is at Stage 2a (developed design). The stage 2a report has been submitted to my Department and is currently undergoing a comprehensive review from both a technical and cost perspective. All projects, including this one, must undergo the necessary due diligence as outlined in the Public Infrastructure Guidelines. Given the detailed nature of the evaluation process, the need to ensure full cost compliance, and the requirement to align the project with the prioritisation framework under the National Development Plan, this review process is necessarily thorough.
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.
My 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.
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.
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. It is not possible to provide indicative timelines for progression to subsequent stages, as the project remains under active review and will advance in line with the wider NDP programme implementation framework.
