Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal East, Labour)
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407. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number and location of additional schools and funding secured in the Department's capital plan for the Donabate area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37324/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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 1,375 school building projects. Government support for this investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, has delivered real benefits for school communities. A recent Government decision has approved €210m supplementary capital funding for my department which brings the total capital allocation for 2025 for my department to €1.6bn.

As part of the NDP Review process, all departments, including my department, are currently engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform with respect to NDP allocations for the period 2026-2030. It is expected that there will be clarity on these allocations over the course of the summer period, and this will allow my department to plan its capital investment programme for the 2026 to 2030 period in line with prioritised needs and reflecting, as appropriate, wider Government priorities. Maximising existing capacity in schools to meet needs is very important. The progression of prioritised individual projects to meet the most urgent needs in the 2026 to 2030 period that cannot be met through existing capacity across schools in the local area will be considered on a rolling basis from Autumn onwards after the NDP allocations are finalised.

There are a number of active projects at primary level in progress in the Donabate school planning area which will provide additional capacity. These projects include new school building project for Gaelscoil na Mara to provide 16 mainstream classrooms with provision for special education needs classrooms. In addition, there is an extension project active for SNC Naomh Padraig.

The current status of large-scale projects being delivered under Project Ireland 2040, may be viewed on the Department's website, at www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/services/major-projects/, and this information is updated regularly. In addition, a list of large-scale projects completed from 2010 to date may also be viewed on the website.