Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, the site identification and assessment exercise for the new Ériu Community College is ongoing. Potential site options have been identified, including a Minister-owned property.

The Deputy will appreciate that negotiations in respect of site acquisitions are, by their nature, sensitive and for that reason I am not in a position to provide further information at this time.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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239. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department will purchase a plot of land (details supplied) in Sallins, County Kildare, in order to future-proof plans to expand a school property. [31750/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is not in receipt of any applications from the school in question in relation to the purchase of land, or plans to extend the school building.

It is open to the school to apply for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme. The purpose of my Department’s ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.

Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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240. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a new outdoor classroom for a school (details supplied); if this can be considered under funding allocations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31777/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is not in receipt of an application for capital funding, under the Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question.

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.

It is open to the school to utilise its Minor Works Grant or to apply under the Summer Works Scheme for improvement works to external facilities.

The Minor Works Grant is the funding mechanism for schools to deal with small-scale improvement or maintenance works.

The Summer Works Scheme is the funding mechanism for dealing with more significant improvement works that are usually carried out during school holiday periods to minimise disruption to the operation of schools. The Summer Works Scheme operates on a multi-annual basis. It is envisaged at this stage that the Summer Works Scheme will be next opened for new applications later in 2023 for delivery of projects on a phased basis from 2024 onwards. Schools will be notified of the details of the Summer Works Scheme in due course.