Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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114. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when her Department will progress the applications by Donegal ETB (details supplied). [58312/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I would like to inform the Deputy that the general principles and approach to school selection on the Department's Energy Retrofit Pathfinder Programme include schools meeting Energy Monitoring and Reporting requirements and demonstrating a strong and holistic commitment to energy management practices through participation in the Energy in Education Programme.

The programme selection also seeks to enable various cross sections of school types and sizes, energy consumption profiles and different elements of construction type and heritage/ conservation requirements where specific learnings are being targeted. The pathfinder programme is thus delivered on broad assessment in line with the above considerations and not on an application basis.

The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan TD and I recently launched the 2023 – 2024 Schools Energy Retrofit Pathfinder Programme which will evaluate and demonstrate the approach to energy retrofit and carbon reduction in the schools’ sector, testing energy efficiency solutions and renewable heat technologies.

The 2023/24 Pathfinder is jointly funded with a targeted budget of €35 million from the Department of Education and Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and the Planning and Building Unit in the Department of Education with delivery support from Limerick Clare ETB.

This government-funded energy retrofit pathfinder programme will target energy use and CO2 emission reduction by 51%, testing deep retrofit and low carbon heating solutions. The programme will see up to 10 schools benefitting from a selection of energy efficiency works.

This programme continues to assist the Department to explore options and test various solutions for decarbonised energy efficiency solutions in our broad range of school building types. It is paving the way for, and informing, a much larger schools national programme for the energy retrofit of schools built prior to 2008 and will play a key part of meeting delivery of the Climate Action Plan.

The schools for 2023 present a variety of challenges, including building age, archetype and retrofit requirements. The works typically involves upgrades to the building fabric including wall and roof insulation, doors and windows, air tightness improvements, LED lighting and heating upgrades as well as renewable technologies.

The pathfinder programme has retrofitted 42 schools across Ireland to date with work on an additional 15 schools currently at various stages of progress.

The schools selected for the 2023 programme are:

- Leixlip Community School, Kildare

- Catherine McCauley Special School, Limerick

- Carndonagh Community School, Donegal

- St Joseph’s National School, Kingscourt, Cavan

- Presentation Girls Primary School, Maynooth

- Holy Rosary School, Wicklow

- Hazelwood College, Limerick

- St Colmcille’s Community School, Dublin

- Scoil Thomas Primary School, Dublin

- Scoil Neassain Primary School, Limerick

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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115. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason that her Department has not substantively responded to the submission and supported the funding application from Donegal ETB on the effects of the MICA issue on students enrolled in Donegal ETB schools and staff employed by Donegal ETB, first submitted in July 2021. [58313/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department met with representatives of Donegal ETB earlier this year and provided information about the range of supports and resources available to it to support students and staff who have been affected by the MICA issue in the county, and will continue to liase with the ETB in this regard.