Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 85 and 87 together.

My Department has a strong track record of delivery. Since 2020, we have invested more than €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the national development plan, involving the completion of more than 1,400 school building projects. It has provided almost 100,000 additional and replacement school places, significantly increased provision for special education and has upgraded and modernised our school infrastructure with new science laboratories, technology rooms, home economics rooms, multimedia suites, mainstream classrooms, special education tuition rooms and special education classrooms. The impact of this will be felt in communities right across the country. This includes more than 80 school building projects, approximately 57 completed special schools delivering more than 300 new classrooms, modernised school accommodation, more than 1,000 new classrooms, and modernised accommodation for SEN provision built in mainstream schools.

Since 2020, the total capital investment in County Cork schools is in the region of €715 million. This has delivered more than 150 large-scale, additional accommodation and modular school building projects and includes 12 new school buildings. Currently, there are close to 50 school building projects under construction in Cork. There are also more than 170 school building projects in County Cork in the pipeline. These are at various stages of design, of which 19 are for new school buildings. The pipeline includes school building projects in six special schools, of which three are new school buildings, delivering more than 100 new classrooms and modernised school accommodation along with more than 160 projects delivering new classrooms and modernised accommodation for SEN provision in mainstream schools. My Department also announced the opening of a new special school for the coming school year that will be based in Carrignavar and open initially on an interim basis in a Gaelscoil in Fermoy.

Additionally, there are more than 80 small-scale school building improvement projects either under construction or in the pipeline in County Cork at this time, through climate action, emergency work and summer works schemes. Within Cork city specifically, 11 projects are currently under construction, with 42 projects in design phases. This includes seven new school buildings along with 28 smaller scale improvement projects in the pipeline.

The position on individual projects evolves all the time as they advance through various stages. However, Deputies and the schools themselves can look at the status of these different projects, which are set out on the Government website. This is updated on a regular basis to reflect project progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction. The Deputy will appreciate the ones I have mentioned. However, given the volume of information across a large number of projects, many of which are delivered on a devolved basis by individual school authorities, if the Deputy would like more specific information, I can provide it after today because there is quite a long list there.

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