Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The large scale capital project for the school referred to by the Deputy is part of a Campus project with two other schools. The project is included in the Department’s Construction Programme which will be delivered under the National Development Plan (NDP) as part of Project Ireland 2040 framework.

The project brief includes the phased construction of two 16 classroom primary schools for with a PE hall for the post primary school on a shared campus.

The Department’s planning and building unit is currently assessing its work programme and priorities for 2024 in the context of overall requirements. The campus remains a priority for delivery, in line with the accommodation issues present at the schools.

The tender process was undertaken and a contractor identified.

The next steps for the project will be the completion of the tender process and progression to Stage 4 – Construction.

The Department of Education, want to reassure the school communities that the school building project will be progressed and delivered.

The Department will update the school authorities when there is a further update on the progression of the major projects.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The large scale capital project at the school referred to by the Deputy is at Architectural Planning Stage 3 - Tender Action and Award.

The authorisation to issue the Letter of Intent progressed last week, when the Letter of Intent issues, as per procurement rules, there is a 14 day standstill period, following which, should the contractor accept, a Letter of Acceptance can issue. Only when the Letter of Acceptance has issued is there a contract in place to enable construction to commence and all the contract terms and conditions apply.

Once the contractor has been appointed, it is expected that it will take approximately 15 months to complete the project.

The Design Team and Department of Education officials are in contact with the Board of Management of the school, ensuring they are fully briefed on the progression of the project.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) to remove and replace the flooring of the entire school. This application was assessed by the Emergency Works team and deemed not to fall within the remit of the EWS as it is a maintenance matter, however the option is also open to the school to apply for these works under the Summer Works Scheme when it next opens for applications.

As the Deputy may be aware, the purpose of the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) is to enable individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works on a devolved basis and, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The SWS operates on a multi-annual basis for categories of works such as roof works, window replacement, mechanical and electrical works, external works etc. and was last opened for applications in 2019.

The Department is leading an ambitious sustainability agenda and has progressed a wide array of measures to improve the overall sustainability of our school buildings. It is a priority for Government to deliver on Ireland’s ambitious climate agenda and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This includes targets around the decarbonisation of Ireland’s public buildings.

As part of it’s planning for 2024 and beyond, Department officials are considering and planning for the next phases of the summer works programme and the opportunities this may create to support the sustainability agenda. In this regard, it is envisaged at this stage that, a Multi-Annual SWS with a focus on climate action and energy conservation will be the focus for the next summer works scheme to be opened for applications. The arrangements and timing of that SWS is still under consideration and schools will be updated in due course.