Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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7. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding funding opportunities for primary schools to provide new outdoor recreation facilities and upgrade existing outdoor spaces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59373/25]

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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My question is about the provision of funding for outdoor recreational facilities such as playgrounds and open space, but also provision for new ones and the maintenance of existing ones. What are the opportunities for primary schools in particular?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Investment and expenditure on sports facilities in both primary and post-primary schools is an element of the overall expenditure and investment in the schools building programme. Practically all schools have outdoor play areas although I accept that many of them vary depending on the different schools. Many schools use adjacent local community facilities and we encourage the dual use of different facilities that are close to each other. The provision of outdoor play areas forms part of the accommodation brief for all new school buildings or where a major building or refurbishment project is being delivered for an existing school. Co-operation between schools and the local sporting organisations in sharing their sporting facilities provides opportunity to apply for sport grants including the sports capital grants administered by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. In recent years there has been huge encouragement of schools and communities in particular working with sporting clubs to have joint applications in that regard.

The provision of capital funding for outdoor recreation facilities is just one way in which we support increased physical activity. The redeveloped primary curriculum specification for physical education extends the time available for PE with a particular emphasis on community partnerships and the use of the outdoor environment generally.

Since 2020, my Department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the NDP, involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. A total of 111 of these were large-scale school projects, all of which included extensive accommodation, including outdoor play areas. In July, the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026 to 2030. As others also will, I will publish an implementation plan in that regard. My Department’s plan will optimise outputs from the allocations with a strong focus 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. In terms of providing further funding for the outdoor spaces, we are investing to support curricular delivery and well-being across schools by prioritising the development of PE halls and sporting facilities in conjunction with the sports capital fund to deliver for both schools and communities.

The climate action summer works scheme, along with the emergency works scheme and the minor works scheme, provides a mechanism for schools to make small-scale improvements where they have facilities that need upgrading.

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge the amount that has been spent on the schools building programme and on the provision of facilities. I also recognise what the Minister said about community facilities and the importance of the provision of sports facilities. I am looking even at a more micro level and I am thinking particularly of Loreto Primary School on Loreto Avenue, Dalkey. The principal, Fióna McKenna, has been in touch with me. The school is in a relatively small area with a playground on-site. It needs repairs to the playground and is having a huge difficulty getting the funding to do that. We all recognise the importance of play facilities and the important role that plays in a rounded education for any child. The danger is that if it is not managed on an ongoing basis and, more importantly, if the schools do not have the resources to do it on an ongoing basis small things get left undone, they get worse and they get dangerous. No playground should end up unusable because of dangerous facilities and that stitch in time does indeed save nine. The way we give the stitch in time is to give the schools the resources in a timely and ready way.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Maybe I can engage with the Deputy further on the particular school. Where repairs need to be made to existing playgrounds or play spaces and certainly where there is a danger for students, schools may apply under the emergency works scheme or indeed the minor works scheme. I am pleased that under the new national development plan, NDP, funding will continue to be available for the emergency works scheme and the minor works grants. It is really important that as many schools as possible can avail of that. Over the years we have seen significant investment in schools and we need to make sure that is spread out and shared evenly across the schools.

The climate action summer works scheme provides a mechanism for schools to make small-scale improvements to school buildings but that also applies to outdoor spaces. The first tranche of approvals under this scheme is due to be announced probably in the next two weeks. That will be a scheme that will apply and will see funding provided across all the different constituencies and we have another tranche as well. There are a number of ways in which schools can engage with the Department. Funding has been secured for the next round of NDP and it is important that schools know they are able to avail of these types of grants specifically for the reasons the Deputy mentioned.

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge what the Minister said about the emergency works scheme and the minor works scheme. How does the Department prioritise one application over another? If a number of schools are asking for emergency works grants or minor works grants where they have a playground, a play facility or sports facility that is unusable, how does the Department prioritise one school over another? What can schools do to ensure they are on that list? We all recognise the importance of these facilities. I do not say this as a criticism but schools are put to the pin of their collar in terms of the resources that are available to them. They are being pulled every way. Particularly for schools in areas like my constituency, there is a danger that there might be feeling that there could be voluntary contributions that could assist schools in paying for things when the reality is they do not necessarily have access to resources that other schools do not have as well. I am concerned about the prioritisation of schools and whether there is a view that some schools do not need it which is not the case.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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It is essential that every school - irrespective of whether there is a perception that some can pay for more than others - has access to the minor works, emergency works and summer works schemes, as well as being able to benefit from the larger capital programme. More will apply for the summer works scheme than will get funding, so it is a matter of determining where the need is most acute and how to prioritise that. There is a system and structure within the Department, but where there is a danger to children or where there is playground equipment that cannot be used or a level of resources which means an area is unfit for children, that certainly must be taken into consideration.

What I would advise schools to do is ensure that when they are making applications, be it for emergency works or minor works, they provide as much information as possible, setting out why they need the funding. The intention is to work through the various applications as quickly as possible. The good thing about the emergency works and minor works schemes is that you do not have to apply at a particular time; you can apply as needed because, when an emergency arises, you have to be able to respond quickly. The Department tries to respond to individual applications as quickly as possible. I am happy to work with the Deputy on the school he mentioned.