James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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85. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of school building projects across Cork county of which her Department is aware, in tabular form; the stage of the process they are currently at; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40175/25]

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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87. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide a list of all capital projects currently underway in Cork city and county, in tabular form; the stages the various projects are at; the amount of capital estimated and spent on each project to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38583/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister and I would appreciate a list in writing. The reason I asked the question was not to come in here to backslap and say we were all doing great. I taught for 15 years. I was deputy chair of Cork ETB for five of those, and the rate of capital expenditure has been phenomenal in the past number of years, particularly in Cork. That has to be recognised. We have seen projects in my constituency like the new special school in Carrignavar, which the Minister referenced. I think Scoil Mhuire gan Smál in Blarney cost in the region of €80 million. The biggest school campus in the country is in Carrigtwohill in my neighbouring constituency of Cork East. These are massive infrastructural projects. The boards of management and school managements in those circumstances have fought and worked hard for them.

I raise this question because I am looking at voluntary boards, boards of management and school principals that do not necessarily have the expertise. I know the powers are devolved and they get a team to work with them. I think it is worth a rethink in how we do these projects because these people do not necessarily have the expertise, yet they take so much upon themselves and there is pressure with that. Will the Minister register that in her response?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge the significant work that goes into any construction project. I acknowledge that, for a lot of principals in schools, this does not happen overnight. It takes many years of initial working with the Department to get that approval, identifying the design team, and going through the design stages and the various pieces of work that have to happen. Insofar as possible, the Department's objective is always to support the school. Where there is an ETB, a huge amount of work is often devolved to the ETBs, which identify the design teams. Where that is not the case, there is a structure within the buildings unit in the Department to help identify the design team, support the principal and board of management through the process and make sure as many projects as possible can be delivered.

There is always the need to work within the budget we have. While we have had significant investment taking place for the past number of years, there are 4,000 schools across the country and many of them are old and need upgrading. We also know that, while the population is decreasing in some areas, it is continuing to increase in others. We need to make sure we are still building new schools and creating more capacity. That is exactly what is happening in Cork, not just in primary and secondary, but also in the significant number of special schools that are being developed.

Insofar as possible, the Department endeavours to support principals, but we are open to any other proposals or suggestions as to how we can improve that working with schools.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I recognise that the Department is always proactive in my engagements with it. As an educator, though, I have concerns, and the Minister may have touched on something there. Cork ETB has a skill set that many voluntary schools would not have. While all schools are not under the patronage of Cork ETB, it has a specific set of skills. It might be worth considering in future that large-scale projects could use the local expertise in the various ETBs across the country.

I remember teaching in a school a decade ago. The Minister might recall that the Sammon construction company had a number of projects in the country at that time, but it collapsed. Our school was 90% complete at the time, but because of difficulties surrounding that situation, we were left looking out the window of the old school at the new school that was nearly finished. We could not go into it for two and a half years because we could not get certification. That is just one example of some of the pressures and demands placed on boards of management. Whether they are equipped or not to deal with those specific situations, they will require the expertise and leadership of something like the ETB.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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We had a similar scenario in my constituency with the same company where there was a school almost built. I am pleased to say that, similar to the Deputy's own, the school is built and the students are there. It is a fantastic complex for them.

We always need to look at how we can improve the structures that are there. There is certainly a level of expertise within our ETBs, but also within the Department. Our principals and boards of management also have a certain level of expertise, but their job is not to build projects.

My objective over the next number of years is to make sure we can provide as much support for our principals as possible, whether it is administrative support or easing the burden of some of the work they are now expected to do and that they perhaps would not have done in the past, while they are, at the same time, managing and, in our smaller schools, also teaching in some cases.

Where we can, we will increase the resources and supports available to our teachers. At the same time, we will make sure the resources and expertise of the Department, in particular the buildings unit, are made readily available to our schools when they are needed. As I said, this is not about back-slapping but it is important to stress that a huge amount of work is happening. Obviously, that is work done by the Department working hand in hand with many of the schools, principals and boards of management.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy John Connolly will ask Question No. 86 on behalf of Deputy McAuliffe.