Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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My constituency of Dublin Bay South is unique in many respects. We are standing in it right now. It stretches over approximately 10 km² in this wonderfully south-easterly corner of our capital. About 125,000 people live here, about 20,000 of whom are under the age of 18, and there are in and around 12,000 families. There is a relatively high proportion of people with no religion or a religion that is not Catholicism. I am giving all this context so the Minister of State can understand some of the unique educational needs in my constituency, which has been a topic raised with me repeatedly by young parents who would like to educate their children in a particular way.

It would not be a secret in Irish society that many families in south Dublin choose to send their children to fee-paying schools. This is, of course, their choice but I am also frequently asked by many parents in my constituency why it seems it is their only choice. The monopolisation of second level education in south Dublin by exclusive and often extremely expensive fee-paying institutions seems out of kilter with a progressive republic. I request that the Department further explore the capital development of non-fee-paying alternatives in my constituency in south Dublin.

One of the core side effects of the fee-paying school environment is that the exclusivity extends beyond just merely the socioeconomic. I have heard reports recently from many parents of children with autism, and parents of children with special needs more generally, who are not as readily accepted into fee-paying institutions and are instead encouraged to go elsewhere. If this practice is occurring, it would be an egregious exacerbation of social isolation for children already at risk of social exclusion. I must object to its practice in the strongest possible terms and ask the Department to investigate. This is not to say investment in special schools and special school places is not also warranted. It is imperative that we provide the proper and comprehensive educational pathways for each child to achieve their potential.

I was delighted last year to see works commence on the Harold's Cross Educate Together school and it was very welcome. However, like many projects run by the State, the completion of works has dragged on far beyond what was promised. I recently received emails from concerned parents at that school reporting their children are learning in a small cramped area 1 m from the school's toilet facilities because current building works have not been completed. Despite the school leadership's best efforts, capital investment was not sufficiently forthcoming or properly managed by the Department of education, and I am concerned this happens far too often, especially where prefabs are used as a mediocre replacement for school building works.

While the Educate Together schools in Harold's Cross and Sandymount are very welcome, they are, as secular schools, a minority available to parents in my constituency. My view, and the view of many others, is that there are far too few. Many of the people I represent would like to see a commitment to more secular and non-religious ethos education schools in south Dublin.

More generally, I am concerned that the Department of education is not sufficiently focused on wider capital development needs in a broader sense, including sports facilities, canteen facilities, childcare co-location and safe access points for school goers. In particular, there is a severe - I do not use this word lightly - lack of availability of all-weather, properly lit, multimodal and publicly accessible sports facilities for children's teams in my constituency. While I sought last year to have Dublin City Council take a lead on developing such facilities, it does seem the Department of education could play role in this regard also. I would welcome the Department doing so.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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I thank Deputy Hayes for raising this matter as it gives me an opportunity on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on the support provided by the Department to schools in south Dublin. I acknowledge the strong support provided by the Government, including by way of supplementary capital funding, which has brought the total capital allocation for 2025 for the Department to €1.6 billion and the announcement of a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026 to 2030 under the national development plan.

As part of this allocation, the Department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place requirements.

In relation to project roll-out for large-scale projects and additional school accommodation scheme projects, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and to provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project roll-out over the course of the period from 2026 to 2030 to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs. The capital allocation will also facilitate the roll-out of projects under the Department’s multi-annual climate action summer works scheme, the completion of the roll-out of the solar PV programme and the EU's REPowerEU retrofit programmes, which will be important elements in supporting the climate agenda and, crucially, will help reduce heating and electricity costs for schools and improve energy efficiency. This is a record level of investment in our schools and highlights the Government’s very strong track record of delivery in providing additional capacity and modern facilities for our school communities.

To move to what is happening in south Dublin, the Department has invested over €590 million since 2020. In the region of €575 million of this funding was invested in school building projects across schools in Dublin Bay South, Dublin South-Central, Dublin South-West, Dublin Rathdown and Dún Laoghaire. This investment has supported the completion of 129 school building projects. This includes seven new school buildings. There are also 39 school building projects currently in construction in south Dublin, of which seven are new school buildings. The Department is now preparing an NDP implementation plan, which is due for publication later in the autumn. This plan will optimise outputs from the NDP allocations with a strong focus on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area will not meet future requirements, and ensuring delivery that is affordable.

It is important to say that the Department has increased funding for schools across the country, including those in south Dublin, to help meet rising day-to-day running costs. Recent budgets have delivered significant permanent increases in school funding to support principals and boards in managing their everyday expenses. This includes the increase in the capitation grant in the recent budget. These investments are ensuring schools can better cover essentials like heating, lighting, cleaning and ancillary staffing. I may add a little bit more in my supplementary response.

Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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I hope the Minister of State will relay my thanks to the officials in the Department of education for the hard work they do in the prioritisation of capital investment in developments in south Dublin city, which she has just described. My view is that education is a silver bullet. Schools should be palaces. In past centuries, we built cathedrals. I propose that our schools should be the cathedrals of the 21st century. I hope the Government shares that vision. As a son of educators, I insist on no less.

I will raise the case of a specific school, which might be illustrative. My constituency is home to some communities that have been left behind for far too long by the powers that be. One of those communities in Ringsend has a national school that is badly in need of capital investment works to upgrade its old 1960s building. I toured the school with the principal last week. He highlighted plumbing problems, old electrical wiring and other structural works required for the new merger between the girls' school and the boys' school, which share a building but are not connected, up and running. It is a major priority for me to see this school and its students supported by the Department of education and that it gets the capital investment it requires.

In the past, this school has also been threatened with losing teachers and SNAs because of arbitrary thresholds on student numbers. In one sense, I understand the logic. Resources must go where the needs are. However, I assure the Department and the Minister that, from my own personal experience, I know this is a school full of children who need more investment, not less. The existing faculty do unbelievable work in supporting children in the most unimaginable situations. I plead for resources to be increased as much as possible in that context.

I am concerned by some of the operational hurdles the Minister of State mentioned, which many schools in my constituency are facing at the moment. One parent reported to me that a school in Ballsbridge lost 80% of its teaching staff in one year because of the pressures of the housing crisis. Another reported fundraising to keep the lights on and the heat up in the school. There are acute problems in staffing and proper operational supports for many schools. Despite the efforts the Minister of State has described, I wonder if the Department and the Government are doing enough of the boring hard work of making sure the teachers are there, the lights are on and that schools are well-built, delivered on time and warm along with the new innovative things like changing curricula or announcing the hot school meals programme.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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The Department of Education and Youth remains firmly committed to providing continued support and resourcing for south Dublin and across the school system nationwide. The Deputy mentioned a specific case in Ringsend. I do not know the details but, if he wants to send them to me, I will make sure they are passed on to the Minister and the Department.

I agree that education is a silver bullet. Insofar as we can manage it, schools should be palaces. It is a strong statement but I understand what the Deputy is saying and where he is coming from. I hope budget 2026 and long-term funding under the NDP from 2026 to 2030 will allow the Department to continue to meet school place needs, with a particular focus on supporting children with special educational needs, while also ensuring that schools have the facilities, staff and resources they require. The Department will continue to prioritise the effective use of the existing school estate, special needs provision and the delivery of additional accommodation, where required.

The Government is committed to increasing funding for schools of all types across the country - I assure the Deputy that this includes those in south Dublin - to help them meet rising day-to-day costs. Over recent budgets, we have made strong progress with more than €30 million secured in budget 2025 and another €39 million in budget 2026. This brings capitation rates up to €274 per primary pupil and €406 per post-primary student for the 2026-27 educational year.