Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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436. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of the current dire condition of the school building and grounds of a school (details supplied); if she can provide an update on the status of the building and the renovation application for the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38652/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The project to which the Deputy refers will provide an extension and refurbishment to provide for 550 pupils and 2 special education classrooms. It is devolved to the school authority for delivery.

The project is currently at Stage 2b (the detailed design stage) of the architectural process. As part of this process, a stage 2b report was submitted in May 2025 by the project design team for review by the department.

Once this information is reviewed and approved by the department, the project will progress to stage 3 (Tender stage) and onwards to construction in due course.

At this stage, it is not possible to provide a timeline for the completion of the project.

The department is committed to ensuring appropriate secondary school accommodation is available for all children in Limerick and will in the wider context outlined, ensure that this project - as for all projects on our school building programme - is subject to the due diligence required under the Public Infrastructure Guidelines.

The current status of all projects is listed on a county by county basis at www.gov.ie. and this is updated on a regular basis to reflect project progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction.

Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan (NDP), 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 to support the provision of special education accommodation and meet school place needs. This 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.