Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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462. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he is aware of the planning difficulties currently being experienced by a school (details supplied) in building two special education classrooms; the intervention the department will be making; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35048/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The school to which the deputy refers was granted capital funding under my Department’s Devolved SEN Reconfiguration and Modular Accommodation programme for reconfiguration works to provide two special education classrooms and two mainstream classrooms.

The use of the Department's Term Maintenance Framework assists in ensuring lead in periods for procurement of accommodation are minimised to the greatest extent possible and helps ease the administrative workload for school authorities in relation to the management and delivery of projects.

Kerrigan Sheanon Newman Project Management (KSN) has been appointed, from my Department’s Framework, to design and tender the project and oversee all elements of construction.

The use of the parish hall is part of the project and a full statutory application for change of use was required to facilitate the use of the parish hall as part of the project. A decision to grant planning permission for change of use of the Parish Hall was received on Friday the 13th June 2025. A four-week appeal period has now commenced, if no appeal is lodged works on the project can begin week commencing the 14th July 2025. The tentative timeline for completion of the works is November 2025. The school authority in conjunction with the Department and the National Council for Special Education is working through contingency planning for the start of the school year.

The school authority are aware of the current programme timelines and the project managers will keep them updated regularly as the project progresses.

My department is working to ensure the expedited delivery of all required accommodation solutions for special classes, and it is expected that the required accommodation will be in place for the start of the school year in the vast majority of cases. Where this is not the case, the NCSE and my department will support the school to put appropriate contingency arrangements in place to ensure that these classes can open while permanent accommodation is being provided.