Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue, namely the need to provide an update on the proposed building works at Sacred Heart Secondary School, Clonakilty, and when those works will be progressed to the next stage. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton.

I thank the Senator for his congratulations. It is great to be back in the Seanad. I was elected to the Seanad on two occasions and believe a Commencement matter is an important way to address issues that arise in all constituencies. This is a very new and vibrant Seanad and it has many first-time Senators. I see five of these in front of me from all parties and the Independents. The Seanad is a wonderful platform to work from.

As the Senator will be aware, the planned school building project at Sacred Heart Secondary School, Clonakilty, County Cork, was approved as a major devolved construction and refurbishment project to provide for a long-term projected enrolment of 600 pupils and a three-classroom special educational needs base.

The project has been devolved for delivery to the Catholic Education and Irish Schools Trust, CEIST, which has appointed a design team to design the accommodation being provided and to bring the project through the tender and construction phases. The design team has responsibility for progressing the project as expeditiously as possible through the stages of architectural planning. Projects progress from stage to stage in accordance with the project brief and the Department's design guidelines. The project for Sacred Heart Secondary School, Clonakilty, has recently been granted approval to progress to stage 2a, the developed design stage, of the architectural design process. At this juncture, it is not feasible to give an indicative timeline for delivery. However, the Department will continue to engage directly with CEIST to provide assistance in respect of the project, as required.

Since 2020, the Department has invested over €6 billion in schools throughout the country under the national development plan, involving the completion of over 1,300 schools building projects. In addition, repurposing and optimisation of existing accommodation capacity across the school estate has been the key enabler of timely, local provision of special-class capacity in a way that supports best practice in inclusion and integration. Approximately 80% of new special classes in the 2025–26 school year are being facilitated in repurposed classroom accommodation.

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 under the national development plan. As part of the plan’s 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 needs.

With regard to the roll-out of 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 provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project roll-out over the course of the period 2026 to 2030 to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs. The Department remains committed to providing ongoing guidance and practical supports in the delivery of the project.

The Senator has raised the very disturbing issue of bats, rodents and other pests and feels the school is deteriorating rapidly. I will relay the issues raised to the Minister.