Written answers
Tuesday, 22 October 2024
Department of Education and Skills
School Funding
Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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364. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason there was no provision for the upgrade, restocking and construction of school laboratories outlined in the education budget for 2025, despite her making claims that the new courses will be funded appropriately. [42955/24]
Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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365. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to ensure that science laboratories in all schools are properly funded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42956/24]
Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 364 and 365 together.
Since 2020, my 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 this 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 schools 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.
There is currently:
- circa. 350 projects under construction, including 37 new school buildings.
- close to 90 projects, including 28 new school buildings, announced earlier this year to proceed from tender stage to construction over the course of 2024 and early 2025. These projects moving to construction in this next phase will add in the region of 200,000 m2 of additional and modernised permanent capacity across the school estate.
- circa. 250 Large Scale and Additional Accommodation Scheme projects at advanced stage of planning and design
- circa. 50 Modular projects. at advanced stage of planning and design School Building Project Delivery
- Over 950 Large Scale, Additional Accommodation and Modular school building projects completed between 2020 and to date in 2024.
The department provides science labs with the construction of all new post-primary schools respectively (6 science labs plus 3 prep areas for a 1,000 pupil post-primary school). These facilities may also be provided where a major building or refurbishment project is being delivered for an existing school. It is also open to a school to make an application through the ASA scheme for a science lab, where required. 219 science labs were delivered through large scale and additional accommodation and modular projects since 2020, there are 86 currently under construction and 61 in the next phase of projects going to construction.
The upgrade of laboratory facilities is a category which has been supported through the summer works scheme (SWS scheme). The purpose of the summer works scheme is to devolve funding to individual recognised primary and post-primary school authorities, to undertake small-scale building works which can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The summer works scheme plays an important role in the maintenance and upgrade of the condition of our schools. It provides important opportunities for enhancing the facilities in a school such as upgrading science laboratories.
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