Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. It gives me the opportunity to set out for the House the position with regard to the status of the application for additional school accommodation made by Balla Secondary School, County Mayo. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education, Deputy Norma Foley.

Balla Secondary School is a mixed school under the patronage of the Archbishop of Tuam. In the 2022-23 school year, it had a total enrolment of 422 pupils. The Department’s planning and building unit received an application for capital works from the school in question. The school applied for a substantial level of new accommodation, including specialist subject accommodation, as well as seeking significant refurbishment works both internally and externally.

The Department of Education has been progressing its work programme and priorities for 2023. Key priorities in this regard including continuing strong delivery to support the operation of the school system with particular regard to planning ahead for the 2023-24 school year and beyond.

The application from Balla Secondary School is being assessed under the Department’s additional school accommodation, ASA, scheme to consider its eligibility for capital funding. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for students with special educational needs is available to cater for students enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.

Officials in the Department are currently assessing the accommodation needs of the school in the context of both current and projected enrolments. As part of this, officials are considering the wider medium to long-term demographic needs of the school planning area, to which the Deputy has also referred. This assessment will reflect the extent of accommodation currently at the school, any deficit relative to current or projected enrolment, the timing and duration of any additional accommodation need, and the overall climate action objectives. Officials from the Department of Education will be in touch with the school authorities directly as soon as the assessment process has been completed.

In the context of Project Ireland 2040, which the Deputy is familiar with, the education sector will receive a total of approximately €4.4 billion in capital investment over the period from 2021 to 2025. There will be a rolling five-year funding envelope, which will be updated for the period 2026 to 2030, within the Government’s overall national development plan, NDP, funding envelope of €136 billion in Exchequer capital that will facilitate building a modern and sustainable school infrastructure. This significant investment allows us to move forward with certainty on our ambitious plans and deliver high quality building projects, with a real focus on sustainability, for school communities across Ireland.

I acknowledge the Deputy's own contribution and advocacy for the school, and I will fully reflect that to the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley. There is no better person in Mayo than Deputy Ring to strongly advocate for a school. I know this well from going through the community in Balla.

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