Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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185. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills which schools in the Clondalkin, Dublin 22 area have had their building projects paused due to funding issues; and if she will provide a comprehensive update on actions her Department is taking to ensure the projects are delivered at the earliest opportunity. [15794/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has a strong track record of delivery of school building projects and this was achieved again in 2022 notwithstanding the wider construction sector environment of high inflation, labour shortages and supply chain issues.

Under Project Ireland 2040, we are investing €4.4 billion over the period 2021 to 2025, to add capacity and develop and upgrade school facilities across the country for the almost one million students and over 100,000 staff that learn and work in our schools every day.

My Department is very appreciative of the strong support provided by Government for our education budget. As part of the supplementary budget, €300m additional capital funding was provided in 2022. This helped to alleviate capital funding pressures that arose in 2022 which was reflective of the strong delivery by my Department of school building projects – particularly to support mainstream provision and special education needs provision. My Department’s overall capital outturn for 2022 was €1.12 billion.

The strong level of delivery is a key driver of capital pressures in the Department. In addition to the normal pressures on the school building budget, there are also additional pressures in the context of requirement to accelerate delivery of accommodation for children with Special Education Needs and also in respect of capacity for continued inflow of Ukrainian and other IP students – particularly at post-primary level where accommodation pressures are more acute

My Department's Planning and Building Unit is currently assessing its work programme and priorities for the remainder of 2023 in the context of its available funding. My Department's published NDP allocation for 2023 is €860 million. Over 70% of the NDP allocation for 2023 is needed to cover expenditure on contractual commitments on existing projects at construction carried forward from 2022. High construction inflation remains a continuing feature of the construction sector for 2023.

As part of its planning ahead for the remainder of 2023, my Department is engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform in relation to capital funding pressures in order to continue to adequately support the operation of the school system with rollout of school building projects to construction in 2023.

My Department wants to reassure the Deputy and the relevant school communities that school building projects that are currently on hold due to capital funding pressures will be progressed and delivered – it is a question of timing. My Department is aware of the urgency in getting these projects delivered as quickly as possible. The outcome of our engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform will provide better clarity on the timelines for the progression of these projects.

I think it is best for communications to be done at individual school level and that is the approach we have taken. The Department will be providing an update to individual schools when our engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform concludes. In tandem with this, my Department’s Planning & Building Unit will also be updating Patron Bodies and School Management Bodies at that stage.

Key priorities for my Department's work programme include continuing strong delivery to support the operation of the school system with particular regard to planning ahead for the 2023/24 school year and beyond and also with particular regard to supporting special needs provision. The current status of all projects are listed on a county by county basis at www.gov.ie. and is updated on a regular basis to reflect their progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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186. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has any plans to centralise and take over responsibility for the project management of school building projects and tenders; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15795/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has a strong track record of delivery of school building projects and this was achieved again in 2022 notwithstanding the wider construction sector environment of high inflation, labour shortages and supply chain issues.

The overall approach is to facilitate devolved delivery of school building projects with centralised guidance and supports provided and funded by the Department.

Large and more complex delivery programmes are typically managed and delivered on a more centralised basis with project management supports.

Under Project Ireland 2040, we are investing €4.4 billion over the period 2021 to 2025, to add capacity and develop and upgrade school facilities across the country for the almost one million students and over 100,000 staff that learn and work in our schools every day.

Project Management and procurement by its nature can be detailed and complex and my Department is very conscious of the need to support the school system with good procurement guidance and arrangements to facilitate strong National Development Plan rollout.

Key initiatives include:

- The Planning & Building Unit has a number of consultant and contractor Frameworks in place that are used for call-off tenders in the appointment of construction teams to deliver on our capital works programme. These are updated as their lifespan expires and are regularly reviewed with regard to capacity and fitness for purpose.

- Guidance for schools and Design Teams on procurement in respect of school building projects.

- A wide variety of frameworks to facilitate delivery such as Project Managers, Architects, Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, D&B Contractors, Modular Accommodation etc.

- Professional support for key delivery partners such as ETBs and other stakeholders in the form of Project Manager resource

- A dedicated Procurement Team within the Planning and Building Unit to provide strategic support and expertise to assist with rollout of NDP including ongoing replenishment of existing frameworks and development of new ones

In addition my Department’s Capital Works Programme and individual schemes such as summer works, energy retrofit, maintenance and emergency works provides many procurement opportunities across the entire country for small, medium and large scale consultants and contractors to tender and work on school projects. My Department’s summer and emergency works schemes in particular by their nature of smaller scale, facilitate procurement often at a local level.