Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

I am aware that my Department is in receipt of an application for capital funding under the additional school accommodation scheme from the school in question. The school applied in late 2024 for the additional school accommodation and for prefabs to be replaced. This is currently being assessed under the ASA scheme. This application seeks the replacement of accommodation that is 50 years old, as the Deputy said. I appreciate that this is an absolute priority for the school.

Since 2020, my Department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the national development plan, involving the completion of over 1,375 school building projects. We are supporting investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, and it is delivering real benefits for school communities. A recent Government decision to approve €210 million in additional funding for my Department brings our allocation for this year to €1.6 billion.

As part of the NDP review process, all Departments, including my own, are currently engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation with respect to NDP allocations for the period 2026 to 2030. Like every Department, I want to build on the capital funding we have and try to increase it further. It is expected that there will be clarity on these allocations over the course of the summer period, and this will allow my Department to plan its capital investment programme for next year right up to 2030 in line with prioritised needs and reflecting, as appropriate, wider Government priorities. Maximising existing capacity in schools to meet needs is very important. The progression of prioritised individual projects to meet the most urgent needs in the 2026 to 2030 period that cannot be met through existing capacity - while there is a huge amount of projects already under way - across schools in the local area will be considered on a rolling basis from autumn onwards after the NDP allocations are finalised. In respect of this project, we have to see what the overall allocation is for next year, and how we fit all the projects into it including the school in question. The school will be considered in that context. I do not have a timeline for the Deputy but it is being assessed. It will come in at the end of the year and we will look at it the same way as other projects in this context.

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