Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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386. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she and her officials will urgently approve the building application made to her Department by a school in County Clare (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6422/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can confirm to the Deputy that the department is in receipt of an application for funding for Major Capital Works from the school to which the Deputy refers. This application has been assessed under the Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme.

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 by available accommodation in other schools in the area.

Since 2020, the 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.

In County Clare alone, in the period 2020 – 2024, the department has invested €117.74 million on projects in construction, projects in the pipeline and on completions. There were 22 projects completed in Clare in the period 2020 to 2024 and there are currently 6 projects in construction.

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that a brief of accommodation has now been approved for the school and the school have been advised of same. A brief for agreement by the school's Board of Management will issue to the school in the coming days.