Nessa Cosgrove (Labour)
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My request is very basic and relates to the need for the Minister for education to make a statement on the status of Scoil Mhuire's application for a new school building in Carrick-on-Shannon.

I will give a bit of background information. Scoil Mhuire is the largest primary school in Carrick-on-Shannon, which is a very big and ever-growing town in County Leitrim. The school is located right in the middle of Carrick-on-Shannon and was one of the earliest proponents of the amalgamation of the two schools. The schools that were amalgamated were an old boys' school built in 1963 and a girls' school that was built in 1953. The schools were amalgamated in 2013.

In 2016, the school put in an application for a much-needed school building. The most glaringly obvious issue there is that there are two different campuses and they are across the road from each other. Not only is it dangerous for children crossing the road, but it also affects school identity and drop-offs. Parents drop children off in the morning to both campuses. We know the Department is aware, because a technical report several years ago from the then Department of Education stated that the school building was substandard. It is very easy to see why. The PE hall is tiny for the number of children who attend the school. The building is really cold and hard to heat.

As the school is very inclusive, the principal and the school's entire staff have welcomed children from a lot of different cultures and backgrounds, who often have additional learning and language needs. These students have needs for which small spaces would be conducive to best accommodate them. Like every school across the country, there are more children with additional needs in the school education system. Again, these children would benefit from having smaller classrooms and environments. To deal with the lack of space, the school is using converted corridors and eating into the PE hall. The PE space was small enough and it now has to be divided. It is real challenge. A promise has been made to build two modular classrooms this summer but the project will have an impact on the play space available and we all know that play is an important holistic need for children. Leitrim County Council has identified a suitable greenfield site, with which the school is very happy. The four local Deputies are all very supportive of the site and have publicly expressed their support. We now need the Department to indicate the status of the application for the new school building. The application was submitted in 2016 and people want to know when the project will progress to the next stage.

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Helen McEntee. I thank the Senator for raising the matter of the status of a new school application for Scoil Mhuire, Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim.

Scoil Mhuire is a co-educational school under Catholic patronage. As the Senator rightly pointed out, it is the result of an amalgamation in September 2013 of the local boys' and girls' national schools. The current staffing at the school is a principal, plus 19 mainstream posts and six special education posts. There are currently 465 pupils enrolled in the school.

The priority in the Department is to ensure the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post-primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs. Applications from schools for major capital works must be considered in the context of capacity requirements and climate action commitments. The Department’s approach is to maximise the usage of existing capacity in schools and manage the progression of the existing pipeline of projects within its allocated capital funding envelope, in line with the Government’s infrastructure guidelines.

Maximising existing capacity in schools to meet needs is very important from both a climate agenda and budgetary perspective. The plan for working this through at a national scale will be informed by the outcome of the energy and condition surveys of all schools, which are currently under way and due for completion by mid-2026. The subsequent analysis of this significant amount of data will take some time but will help determine priorities going forward in respect of retrofit and refurbishment projects. The process may ultimately identify a requirement for the replacement of some accommodation, but this is not expected to be widespread. This overall process is particularly valuable in facilitating a proportionate assessment of a school’s accommodation upgrade needs relative to all other schools and allows an effective prioritisation of capital investment.

The programme for Government recognises the importance of strong capital investment in the school building programme and supporting this with enhanced allocations through the national development plan process. Since 2020, the Department of education has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the national development plan, involving the completion of over 1,400 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 approved €210 million in supplementary capital funding from the Department, which brings the total capital allocation for 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 Service 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. This will allow the Department of Education and Youth to plan its capital programme for the 2026 to 2030 period in line with prioritised needs and reflecting, as appropriate, wider Government priorities. Maximising existing capacity in schools to meet needs is very important. The progression of prioritised individual projects to meet the most urgent needs in the 2026 to 2030 period that cannot be met through existing capacity across schools in the local area will be considered on a rolling basis from autumn onwards after the NDP allocations are finalised.

Nessa Cosgrove (Labour)
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There is, therefore, no date or commitment yet. I ask the Minister of State to look favourably on this matter. He mentioned that the impact of climate change is part of the assessment. I will cite an example of how unfair it is when there are two campuses. In 2024, schools were encouraged to apply for solar panels. As there are two school campuses, only one application was accepted but the school still has two electricity bills.

A new Gaelscoil in Carrick-on-Shannon, which is very welcome, was afforded €4.5 million. There is a danger that one school will be completely run down because it has an existing building.

The lights have gone off in the Chamber, which also happened during a committee meeting earlier.

Cathal Byrne (Fine Gael)
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It was not me.

Nessa Cosgrove (Labour)
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One school will become run down and one will serve an affluent area. Middle-class children will attend one school and Scoil Mhuire will be cynically run down because of the lack of an appropriate school building. Scoil Mhuire submitted an application in 2016. It is the main national school in Carrick-in-Shannon, so a new school building is a matter of urgency.

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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The Department is fully aware of the needs of Scoil Mhuire and the local area and the application for a new school building. I assure the Senator that the application will be reviewed further following the outcome of the NDP allocation process.

The Department acknowledges the ongoing discussions concerning a proposed new school building, which the Senator rightly pointed out. It will continue to engage with the patron, local authority and, I am sure, local representatives as part of its ongoing review of school requirements for the whole Carrick-on-Shannon area. I again thank the Senator for raising this matter.