Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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92. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department will provide sanction to Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board to purchase a house, which is for sale, to facilitate the development of an extension to a school (details supplied) in County Leitrim, which was sanctioned by her Department in December 2021. [39550/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the school referred to have been approved funding under my departments Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme for capital funding for 5 mainstream classrooms, 2 special education tuition rooms, 2 special education classrooms, 1 universal access toilet, 1 textiles room and 1 multimedia room.

The school also received approval in 2021 for funding for the provision of 2 modular units to facilitate special education classrooms, which are currently on site.

The Department is fully aware of the challenges faced by the school, particularly those related to site constraints. To address these, the Department has proposed acquiring land adjacent to the current site, which will enable the project to move forward. Additionally, the school is utilizing rental space in a local community hall, and the Department has recently approved an increase in the accommodation available to the school at this facility. The complexities involved in the early stages of this project has led to slow progress, however Department officials are working closely with the ETB to steadily move forward with this project.

Since 2020, the department has invested over €5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 950 school building projects and with construction currently underway at approximately 350 other projects, which includes 37 new school buildings. These 350 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of over €1.5bn.

The Department announced earlier in the year that close to 90 projects, including 28 new school buildings, would be authorised to proceed from tender stage to construction over the course of 2024 and early 2025. In total, around €800 million will be invested in these projects under the department’s Large Scale Capital Programme and Additional Accommodation Scheme for essential classroom accommodation.

Between projects currently under construction and projects moving to construction in this latest phase, investments by the Department of Education are adding over 550,000 square metres of new and modernised capacity to our school estate.

This is a record level of investment in school buildings. It will expand the number of school places, significantly increase provision for special education and upgrade and modernise our school infrastructure. The impact of this will be felt in communities right around the country.

The key drivers of capital investment in the school sector include:

• demographic growth, particularly at post primary level
• increased demand for special educational needs provision
• alignment of school place provision with new housing development
• climate action objectives including deep energy retrofit.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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93. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the current situation with the proposed extension for an urgently needed learning support room that is required for a school in Donegal (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39562/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm to the Deputy that the school referred to was approved to enter my Department’s pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide the following accommodation 1 x Special Education Tuition Room under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The responsibility for this project has been devolved to the school authority.

I can confirm the project was approved to Stage 4 construction stage in May 2024. The school recently advised my Department that the contractor would not be commencing on site until December 2024. It is now a matter for the school to progress this project to completion stage.