Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 June 2026
314. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth when the Stage 1 stakeholders meeting will be scheduled with the representatives of the board of management of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47052/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer to the query raised by the Deputy regarding the Stage 1 stakeholders meeting for Coláiste Muire Máthair, Galway.
The Stage 1 report was received in my department on 18th July 2025.
A Stage 1 report requires a full due diligence review by department officials as a preferred design option, including the scope and extent of works to be carried out form part of this report.
The report is currently under review and upon completion of that due diligence review the Stage 1 stakeholders meeting will be scheduled.
Since 2020, my department has invested over €6.9 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving the completion of over 1,400 school building projects along with over 4,000 small-scale improvement works to meet priority maintenance needs and advance energy efficiency and climate goal. In addition, repurposing and optimisation of existing accommodation capacity across the school estate has been a key enabler of timely, local provision of special class capacity in a way that supports best practice in inclusion and integration. Circa 80% of new special classes in 2025/26 are being facilitated in repurposed classroom accommodation. This investment has delivered real benefits for school communities.
A total capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth has been confirmed for the period 2026-2030 under the National Development Plan. As part of this NDP allocation my department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs. In relation to project rollout for Large-Scale projects and Additional School Accommodation scheme projects, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project rollout over the course of 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs.
As part of the NDP Implementation Plan for the education and youth sector, a first tranche of projects to progress to tender and/or construction during 2026 and 2027 was published in January 2026. Prioritisation will continue to identify further tranches of projects to proceed to tender and construction over the NDP period, with stakeholder consultation to commence in June 2026.
Our 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.
I would like to advise the Deputy, over this period, my Department has provided €264.25 million in capital funding for Galway schools.
Over this period, a total of 89 schools have been upgraded either through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation.
10 school projects to go to tender or construction in 2026 and 2027 were included in the NDP Implementation Plan.
There are currently 18 school projects in Galway under construction.
In addition, since 2020 a total of 108 special classes have been sanctioned in Galway, of which 30 were sanctioned for September 2026.
