Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for staying to this late hour to take this question about Coláiste Bhríde in Carnew, Wicklow. This is a progressive secondary school of almost 1,000 pupils which serves a predominantly rural area in south Wicklow as well as parts of north Wexford and south Carlow. The local community rightly takes great pride in this school. The whole school evaluation reports regularly speak of the positive relationships between teachers and students and that it is an inclusive and caring community. In addition to having a reputation for academic excellence, it also supports extra-curricular activities, even to the point that students involved in the Young Social Innovators led a successful campaign recently to amend, change and ensure there was junior certificate grade reform. That reform was indeed announced by the Minister, Deputy Helen McEntee, and there will now be a broader range of grades for those at junior certificate level.

While the school is very successful in what it delivers for students and the communities, the school’s buildings have not been fit for purpose for quite some time. There has been a long campaign to try to ensure that this community has adequate school facilities. In that regard, tribute must be paid to the principal of the school, Anna Gahan, the staff team, to John Naylor and the board of management and to the parents and students who have been waiting a long time. We finally saw a commitment that we would see a new school for Carnew as part of the Project Ireland bundle, which dealt with a number of schools in the region. This involves the refurbishment of the 1930s school building and the construction of a new two-to-four storey building with SEN units. It will be a state-of-the-art facility that will be critical for the community.

Preliminary planning was granted by Wicklow County Council in December 2023. From replies to parliamentary questions I have asked, we have been told that this has been at stage 2b for a while. The Minister of State will be aware that is where the final designs progress before the tender documents are issued. It is critical we get to the stage where the tender documents are issued, a contractor is appointed and work can begin. My critical question is: when will stage 2b be completed? When will a tender for a contractor be awarded?

The school has also sought as part of the development that there would be groundworks for a multipurpose pitch and that this would be facilitated. That did not come in right at the beginning but the Minister of State will appreciate that with a school of almost 1,000 students, which is likely to grow because of the expanding population in north Wexford and south Wicklow, that we need to have sports and recreational facilities within a school. At the moment, any of the teams that want to play a game or train, whether soccer or anything else, has to hire a bus to get to the nearest pitch. That is not acceptable for a modern and inclusive school community.

I am conscious it is coming close to midnight. Carnew in south Wicklow has often felt as if it is the Cinderella in Wicklow. I am hoping that tonight on this last question the Minister of State will be Carnew’s Prince Charming and be able to announce some good news for us this evening and give us a potential timeframe for delivery.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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The Deputy has a wonderful way with the English language. I commend him on his determination and having the patience of being here until this time tonight. I am glad to be here representing the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy McEntee. I thank the Deputy on her behalf for raising this matter as it gives me the opportunity to provide an update to the House on the current position regarding the major school building project for Coláiste Bhríde, Carnew, County Wicklow.

Delivery of the project has been devolved to the National Development Finance Agency, NDFA, as part of the programme for school building projects. The brief for the project is to provide a new-build replacement school for a long-term projected enrolment of 1,000 pupils, including a four-classroom special educational needs base. The project is currently in the final stages of stage 2b, the post planning process, of the architectural process, which allows for detailed design and planning, obtaining the necessary statutory permissions and the preparation of tender documents. When this stage is finalised, the next stage is tendering for a contractor and then onwards to construction in due course.

The time a project takes to deliver depends on several factors, as the Deputy well knows, including scale and complexity, and is subject to the time it takes to progress through the various design stages and the statutory approval process.

While at this early stage it is not possible to provide a timeline for completion of the project, the NDFA will continue to engage directly with the school authorities to keep them fully informed of all progress.

I assure the Deputy that the Department of Education and Youth is committed to ensuring appropriate accommodation is available for the pupils in Coláiste Bhríde and will in the wider context outlined ensure that this project, as for all projects on the school building programme, is subject to the due diligence required under the public infrastructure guidelines.

Since 2020, the Department of education has invested more than €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the national development plan, NDP, involving the completion of over 1,375 school building projects. Government support for this investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, has delivered real benefits for school communities. A recent Government decision approved €210 million in supplementary capital funding for the Department of Education and Youth, which brings the total capital allocation for 2025 for the Department to €1.6 billion.

As part of the NDP review process, all Departments, including the Department of Education and Youth, are currently engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, NDP Delivery and Reform with respect to NDP allocations for the period 2026 to 2030. It is expected that there will be clarity on these allocations over the summer period and this will allow the Department of Education and Youth to plan its capital investment programme for the 2026 to 2030 period 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 across schools in the local area will be considered on a rolling basis from autumn onwards after the NDP allocations are finalised.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome that the Minister of State indicated the stage 2b process is in its final stages. However, he knows as well as I do that the critical next step is moving to a tender so that a contractor will be appointed. With the best will in the world, even if the Minister of State announced tonight that stage 2b was complete and it was moving to tender, we would still probably be looking at more than two years by the time the new school was completed.

The neighbouring town of Gorey, my home town, has three schools, the third of which was sanctioned by the previous Minister, Deputy Foley, will soon reach capacity because the population in north Wexford and south Wicklow is growing incredibly quickly so there will be pressure for additional places in the area. That is why it is critical that Carnew gets a modern schools as soon as possible.

The other big concern for the school community is that adequate sporting facilities be made available on the site. What the school wants to see, which makes economic sense, is that the groundworks are carried out to ensure those sporting facilities can be provided while the school is being built. It is about long-term planning in the area. This has to be a priority. I appreciate the Minister of State being here at this time. I have tabled quite a number of parliamentary questions on this. He can understand how when serving such a wide area, much of it including rural communities, that this school is at its heart and it is critical we get a timeframe as to its delivery.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I am sure the Deputy’s constant support for this project will be a great help to its progression. His determination in this regard on behalf of his constituents will be acknowledged by the Government and the Minister. I thank him again for the opportunity to outline the Department of Education and Youth’s position relating to this very important project. As I have outlined, the NDFA has been engaging and will continue to engage with the school to progress this important project. I wish the Deputy every good luck in his endeavours. His determination is duly noted by the Government.