Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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581. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for additional school accommodation for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17718/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme from the school in question. 

My Department's Planning and Building Unit is currently assessing its work programme and priorities for 2023 in the context of its available funding. Key priorities for the 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 accommodation needs of the school in question are being prioritised and a decision will issue to the school authorities as soon as possible in this regard.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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582. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the board of management of a school (details supplied) will be entitled to rent additional space in order to accommodate the students in the school in a safe manner; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17756/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application for additional school accommodation (ASA) from the school authority in question.

Officials from my Department have corresponded with the school authority and approval has recently issued for rental of additional rooms to facilitate the opening of a special class in September 2023.

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.

At primary level, this situation generally arises to cater for a school’s accommodation requirements where an additional teaching post has been sanctioned by Teacher Allocation Section, or a new SEN class has been sanctioned by the NCSE, and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes.