Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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354. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a special school issue (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35580/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can confirm to the Deputy, that my department is in receipt of an application from the school in question for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA scheme).

The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation 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.

I can confirm that the school in question was issued an offer of accommodation under the ASA scheme in March 2025, for 2 Special education needs classrooms and 1 Mainstream classroom.

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.

Between projects currently under construction and projects moving to construction in this latest phase, investments by the Department of Education and Youth are adding over 610,000 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.

The key drivers of capital investment in the school’s sector include:

• demographic growth, particularly at post primary level
• increased demand for special educational needs provision
• alignment of school place provision with new housing development
• climate action objectives including deep energy retrofit