Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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351. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application by a school (details supplied); if same will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56552/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm that my Department is in receipt of an application for major capital funding under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme in respect of the school referred to by the Deputy.

The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.

While my Department has already approved funding for the provision of permanent additional accommodation at the school in question in 2020 under the ASA scheme, this did not include provision for a PE hall. The School Authority has subsequently re-applied for capital funding for a PE Hall. The main focus of resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics. The second half of the NDP will see an increasing focus on the upgrade and refurbishment of the existing school stock. This will include a PE Hall build and modernisation programme to ensure that students in all post-primary schools have access to appropriate facilities to support PE provision.

A decision has issued directly to the school authority in this context.