Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 September 2026
397. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the commencement of the next phase of a school building project (details supplied) and preparatory works being undertaken by her Department in this regard. [68529/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm to the Deputy, that a major building project for the school in question is currently in progress.
This large-scale capital project is for the construction of a new extension and the refurbishment of existing facilities to accommodate 1,000 pupils, including provision for Special Educational Needs classrooms. The project is currently being delivered under my department's Modular Framework and consists of 9 general classrooms and 2 specialist classrooms. The project also includes the repurposing of part of the existing accommodation to include classrooms for children with Special Educational Needs in the interim.
The Deputy will be aware that 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 ongoing.
It is in this context that any future project or phases for the school in question will be considered, and I can assure the deputy that department officials have been in contact with the patron in relation to this matter.
