Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)

The Minister and I have set a vision to deliver a world-class education service which breaks down barriers and ensures that every child can achieve their full potential. The investment of €7.55 billion in capital funding through the national development plan in the coming years will ensure that we can deliver new school places and upgrade existing schools. It will provide a record 14,000 school places in special classes and special schools. We will continue to prioritise and deliver extra spaces in our mainstream schools through the construction of new schools and extensions.

I can confirm to the Deputy that the school in question initially submitted an application under the Department's additional school accommodation, ASA, scheme in 2018. An assessment deemed that the site was restricted and that additional lands were required to deliver this accommodation. This application was withdrawn by the school authority. A request to purchase additional lands was submitted by the school in 2021 and the acquisition of a 2.765-acre site adjacent to the school was completed at the end of May 2025. In late 2024, the school in question submitted a revised ASA application for additional accommodation to meet its future needs.

The Department's approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project roll-out over the course of 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs. A strong focus will be on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is insufficient, and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money and meets functional needs. The provision of required school places, including for children with additional educational needs, is a priority for all of us in the Department.

A decision will be made in relation to the school's application for additional accommodation shortly in the context of overall programme management. This decision will take account of overall school place needs, including for children with special education needs, and in cognisance of demographic projections, capacity across schools in the area and the extent to which schools are prioritising local school place needs.

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