Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)

This Government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their potential and the programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs. The NCSE gives consideration to information it holds at local level on the number of children seeking a special school place in a region. Where classes have been sanctioned based on local demand, a number of new measures were introduced this year to support schools to access capital funding for reconfiguration. This includes the automatic payment of €30,000 for each new class sanctioned requiring minor building works, the up to €70,000 that is available for small-scale repurposing, and the wider capital programme that can be accessed for larger projects.

Since 2020, the Department of Education and Youth has invested in excess of €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the national development plan, NDP, involving the completion of more than 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 has approved €210 million in supplementary capital funding for the Department which brings the total capital allocation for the Department in 2025 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, Public Sector Reform and Digitalisation with respect to NDP allocations for the period 2026 to 2030. It is expected that there will be clarity on these allocations over the course of the summer period, and this will allow the Department to plan its capital investment programme for the 2026 to 2030 period in line with prioritised needs and reflecting, as appropriate, wider Government priorities.

Schools built under the public-private partnership, PPP model, which includes some Invesis -formerly BAM - schools, apply for special education accommodation through the same process as traditional schools. When the NCSE identifies a need for SEN accommodation, the school management applies to the Department for approval. The schools are licensed by way of agreement to a PPP company for the operation of the school. The proposed extension would be tendered and delivered, subject to departmental approval of costs, through the PPP company, in consultation with the school.