John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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241. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will engage with her Department to build a sports hall for a school (details supplied), as it is the only school in the county without a sports hall; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35096/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the school in question currently has a project at stage 4 under my department's Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) scheme.

This project will provide the school with three new science laboratories, two prep areas and a new design and communications (DCG) room as well as two mainstream classrooms by way of refurbishment of existing accommodation.

The purpose of my department’s ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or at other schools in the area. A request for a PE Hall does not come within the remit of the ASA scheme.

Investment and expenditure on PE Halls is an element of the overall School Building Programme. The provision of GP rooms and PE Halls, at primary and post primary level respectively, and outdoor hard play areas, form part of the accommodation brief for all new school buildings. This is also the case where a major building or refurbishment project is being delivered for an existing school as part of the department’s large-scale building programme.

Almost 95% of the post primary schools that made 2020 Annual Schools Returns have indicated to my department that they either have a PE Hall, access to a nearby PE Hall, or a project in train that will deliver a new PE Hall. Practically all schools have outdoor play areas and many schools use adjacent local facilities, including community halls, public parks, playing fields and swimming pools.

Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving the completion of over 1,400 school building projects and with construction currently underway in over 325 other projects, which includes new school buildings some of which are being delivered in phases.

These 325 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of over €1.7bn. This is a record level of investment in our schools and highlights the Government’s very strong track record of delivery in providing additional capacity and modern facilities for our school communities.

A future strengthened focus on refurbishment of existing school stock will have different strands and will include a PE build and modernisation programme which will enable students in post-primary schools to have access to appropriate facilities to support PE provision, particularly also in the context of the roll-out of PE as a leaving-certificate subject. Enhanced and modernised PE facilities will also provide important amenities for local communities.

However, the main focus of my department’s capital funding over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of critical additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics and children with special education needs.

My department is required to manage the overall school building programme so that we target and prioritise areas that are under greatest pressure for additional school places. This reflects my department’s fundamental objective of ensuring the availability of a school place for every child.

The overall position with regard to potential modernisation and replacement of existing school infrastructure will be kept under review as capital funding allocations for future years are clarified.

The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform will be engaging with all Department's on NDP allocations for the period 2026 to 2028 over the coming months.