Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

If anything needs to be clarified with the school, we will make sure that is the case and where work needs to be done, we will ensure this is made clear to the school. What is happening now is that the assessment is taking place, but this is something that will have to be looked at as part of the 2026-2030 overall budget. We do not have that absolute figure at the moment, so my Department is engaging with the Department of the Minister, Deputy Chambers, as is every other Department, to see what a revised NDP allocation would look like. Once those figures are understood, that will enable me, working with the Department and, in particular, the buildings unit, to look at what projects can and will take place in the years ahead.

To outline the work being done in County Dublin alone now, construction projects worth €1.24 billion have happened in recent years. Some 302 projects were completed in those five years. Currently, 51 projects are under construction. There are 18 modular projects at an advanced stage of delivery and 73 different projects at various stages of detailed design included. While I absolutely appreciate this is a priority for the school given the length of time involved, we must ensure given the scale and number of projects we are able to provide resources and supports to as many schools as possible with the budget we have and that is being worked through now.

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