Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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268. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update on when the minor works grant for 2025 will be made available to schools. [4082/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My department recognises the importance of the Minor Works Grant to primary and special schools. Under Project Ireland 2040, a commitment was given that the Minor Works Grant would be paid in either December or January of the school year to all primary and special schools. In recent years my department’s approach has been to pay the Minor Works Grant to primary and special schools in advance of the start of the following school year to facilitate a better lead in period for schools to plan any maintenance or minor works during the summer period.

Since 2020, under the Minor works grant a total of €280m has issued to schools, this includes a Minor works grant to the value of €29m which issued in April 2024 which will provide support to the operation of all primary schools for the 2024/25 school year. The lead-in period gives schools sufficient time to make plans and set priorities for use of the funding.

Primary and special schools need not apply for minor works grant aid. Under the scheme, funding is made available to all primary and special schools on the following basis: €5,500 basic grant plus €18.50 per mainstream pupil and €74 per special needs pupil enrolled in the school on the 30th of September of the year prior to the issue of the grant. The €74 rate applies to a special needs pupil attending a special school or attending a special class attached to a mainstream school.

Schools have the autonomy to use this funding for maintenance and small-scale improvements to school buildings and grounds. 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.

My department's Planning and Building Unit is currently assessing its work programme and priorities for 2025 in the context of its available funding. The timeline for the payment of the next tranche of Minor Works Grant funding will be confirmed in due course.