Written answers

Wednesday, 22 January 2025

Department of Education and Skills

School Accommodation

Photo of Grace BolandGrace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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590. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update on the construction of the sanctioned autism classes for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1193/25]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Given the challenges of the school site referred to by the Deputy, my department continues to engage with the school patron to advance the provision of required accommodation at this school.

My department is engaging with the patron regarding both the short and longer-term accommodation needs at the school including special education needs requirements and we are working to ensure that special classes can be accommodated at the school as a priority.

Since 2020, my department has invested over €5.7 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 1,150 school building projects and with construction currently underway at approximately 300 other projects, which includes new school buildings some of which are being delivered in phases. These 300 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of over €1.3bn.

The department announced previously 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.

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