Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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64. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to list all of the grants and financial support schemes available to the primary school sector for works to enhance and improve the physical conditions of such schools and to assist in the development, for example, of play and sports facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45324/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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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.

The Minor Works Grant is one important element of this record level of capital investment in school infrastructure with significant funding provided to schools through the Minor Works Grant. Since 2020, €280m has issued to schools in Minor Works funding.

The Minor Works Grant for the school year 2024/2025 issued in April 2024. The lead-in period ahead of the new school year, give schools sufficient time to make plans and set priorities for use of the funding.

Given that each school setting is different, individual schools are best placed to decide how best to use this funding to address their particular needs.

Other funding pathways for such works as referenced by the Deputy are via either the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) or the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) which is multi annual in nature.