Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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446. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has a specific capital support scheme in place to provide financial assistance to schools to maintain and adapt long standing school gymnasia and other sports facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34335/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Applications relating to the provision of funding for issues relating to an existing school building can fall under a number of different delivery mechanisms including, most frequently, the Emergency Works Scheme and the Summer Works Scheme (SWS).

The purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies. It does so by ensuring the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation. An emergency is deemed to be a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or the environment, which is sudden, unforeseen and requires immediate action, and in the case of a school, if not corrected would prevent the school or part thereof from opening.

The EWS operates on the basis of the minimal scope of works required to remedy an emergency situation. The EWS usually provides an interim solution until such time as a comprehensive solution can be provided under the Summer Works Scheme (SWS). In the case of the school in question it should be noted that there was engagement from the EWS and interim repair works were completed at the school.

As the Deputy may be aware, I recently announced details in respect of the Climate Action Summer Works Scheme (CASWS) 2026 onwards. The purpose of the CASWS is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works which, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The CASWS will operate on a multi-annual basis for a number of categories which could include upgrades to school gymnasiums, and other sports facilities such as playing pitches and hard surface play areas.

All school authorities were previously notified about the new CASWS which opened for applications on the 1st May 2025 and will remain open for applications until 5.30pm on the 30th of June 2025 when the applications window will close. Full details of the new CASWS, Circular (0029/2025) for the scheme and guidance documents for schools can be found at the below link:

www.gov.ie/en/service/3230e1-summer-works-scheme/.