Ciarán Ahern (Dublin South West, Labour)
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261. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update in relation to the very serious health and safety issues identified with the current building used by a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4024/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can confirm to the Deputy, that my department has received an application, under the Additional Schools Accommodation Scheme (ASA), from the school authority in question.

The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or at other schools in the area.

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 40 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 previously announced 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.

I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department has received an application for emergency works from the school in question and my officials are liaising with the school in this regard. My Department will continue to engage directly with the school regarding the various matters that the school has raised relating to their accommodation.

The ASA application will be assessed by my officials and a decision will issue to the school authorities in due course.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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262. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the summer works scheme will operate this year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4025/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the purpose of the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) is to enable individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works on a devolved basis and, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The SWS operates on a multi-annual basis for a number of categories and was last opened for applications in 2019.

My Department is leading an ambitious sustainability agenda and has progressed a wide array of measures to improve the overall sustainability of our school buildings. It is a priority for Government to deliver on Ireland’s ambitious climate agenda and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This includes targets around the decarbonisation of Ireland’s public buildings.

As part of it’s planning for 2025 and beyond, my Department is considering and planning for the next phases of the summer works programme. The arrangements and timing of that SWS is still under consideration and schools will be updated in due course.