Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am very cognisant of the frustration that exists. Any project being paused is one too many, but we have considerable issues regarding the availability of capital. The Deputy referred very genuinely to the fact she was a student herself in one of the schools when the new building was first mooted, but I cannot stand over what has happened in the intervening period between when she was a student and is now a Deputy. I do not know what happened in those intervening years. I can comment only on what has happened on my watch in the past two and a half years or so.

More than 180 school building projects were delivered in 2022, which included the accelerated delivery of modular accommodation to support the provision of 900 pupils with special educational needs. Approximately 300 school building projects continued into construction at the start of 2023, the majority of which will be completed in 2023 or early 2024, and this includes more than 40 new school buildings. Currently, there is an issue with additional capital being required, largely for the reasons I outlined. We are in a very different circumstance now compared with when the NDP allocation was first made. Various issues have arisen, such as the increased cost of living, events in Ukraine, the additionality of students and so on, but we have continued with the building programme throughout Covid. We are in ongoing engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, and I acknowledge the positive engagement from the Minister at that Department. It is my hope and expectation those engagements and discussions we are having with that Department regarding the availability of funding will come to a conclusion quickly. I am very conscious of the importance of driving on these projects, and we in the Department are fully committed to doing so. Again, I welcome the very positive engagement from the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, and we await the outcome of those engagements.

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