Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

68. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline all capital investments, if any made by her Department in the constituency of Louth East Meath since 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45396/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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.

Also, significant funding has been provided to schools through the Minor Works and Enhanced Minor Works grants. Since 2020, €280 million in Minor Works funding has issued to schools, which includes the Minor Works grant that issued in April 24 for the school year 2024/25.

From 2020 to date over €250m has been provided to schools in ICT grants of which €50m issued in April 2024.

During the period 2020 to 2024 circa €400m invested in smaller scale school building improvements delivering circa. 2,900 projects across the Summer Works & Emergency Works schemes.

The current status of all school building projects from 2010 to date is listed on a county by county basis at (www.gov.ie) . This is updated on a regular basis to reflect project progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction.

The total capital funding allocated by my department since 2020, to the two constituency areas referred to by the deputy, is outlined in the table below.