Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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556. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the details of school retrofit programmes currently in place; the criteria for inclusion in these programmes; the number of schools that have benefited from such programmes previously; the number of schools that have been approved for a retrofit this year; the expected timeframe for completion of such retrofit works; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23251/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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 as part of our work towards 2030 and 2050 climate targets. This performance has been recognised at both National and International level with sustainable energy awards for excellence in design, specification and delivery. My departments policy is supported by a strong research programme with fifty-six research programmes at various stages.

It is a priority for Government to deliver on Ireland’s ambitious climate agenda and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the department’s which was published in 2023 and updated in 2024.

My department and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications have developed a jointly funded school sector decarbonisation pathfinder programme. It is administered by the Planning and Building Unit in my Department and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland in partnership with devolved delivery support from Limerick and Clare Education Training Board, and Longford and Westmeath Education Training Board.

This pathfinder programme is facilitating research on a range of typical retrofit options for schools, which will be tried and tested. It is providing valuable development information for a solution driven delivery strategy which will be founded on a solid evidence base that has proven the robustness and scalability of renewable solutions within the school sector.

The general principles and approach to school selection includes; schools who comply with their annual reporting obligations to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) with respect to their annual energy usage under the Energy Monitoring and Reporting scheme and secondly schools that demonstrate a strong and holistic commitment to energy management practices through participation in the Energy in Education website portal and advice programme that is operated by the SEAI and my Department.

The programme selection also seeks to enable various cross sections of school types and sizes, energy consumption profiles and different elements of construction type and heritage/conservation requirements where specific learnings are being targeted.

The pathfinder programme is generally delivered in line with the above considerations and not on an application basis. Schools who wish to be considered should ensure that they are meeting their Energy Monitoring and Reporting requirements and also participating in the Energy in Education Programme.

The pathfinder is paving the way for, and informing a larger schools national programme for the energy retrofit of schools and will play a key part of meeting delivery of the Climate Action Plan. The next step is to create an accurate scalable model for resourcing and delivery for across the school sector. To date 68 schools are complete with a further 9 in progress.

My Department was also successful in securing funding from REPowerEU to fund an expanded school pathfinder decarbonisation and retrofit programme over 2025. A total of 40 schools had been selected for initial assessment based on their building profile for the programme and are currently at tendering stage.