Written answers
Tuesday, 29 July 2025
Department of Education and Skills
Schools Building Projects
Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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1230. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the major project for a junior and national school (details supplied); and a timeframe for the project’s completion. [43561/25]
Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will be delivered under my Department's ADAPT Programme.
The ADAPT Programme uses a professional external Programme Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the design stages of architectural planning to Tender and Construction.
The joint school building project will deliver two new 24 classroom primary schools with accommodation for children with special educational needs, at the current site in Lucan.
The project is currently at an early stage of Architectural Planning Stage 1 – Initial Sketch Scheme. A preferred design option has been agreed by all Stakeholders and following a request by my Department for additional information from the Design Team, the stage 1 report was received by my Department in May 2025 and is currently under review.
Upon completion of the review, my Department will advise both schools and their design team regarding project progression.
It will not be possible to provide a timeframe for the progression of the project to tender and construction stages until such time as the necessary statutory approvals have been secured.
Further details on the Department of Education and Youth’s capital programme will be published in Autumn 2025.
Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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1231. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the major project for a school (details supplied); the reason for the continued delay; a timeframe for the project’s completion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43562/25]
Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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A major building project to provide a permanent school building for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently being delivered under the Department’s Design and Build Programme . The new school building will provide a new 16 classroom primary school and accommodation including 4 classrooms for children with special education needs, on the permanent site off Coolamber Drive, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin.
The planning application was submitted to the local authority in December 2023 and planning permission for the project was granted in May 2025, following third party appeals to An Coimisiún Pleanála. The next stage is tender stage.
As part of the NDP Review process, all departments, including this department, have engaged with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation with respect to NDP allocations for the period 2026-2030.? This will allow the 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. 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.
Further details on the Department of Education and Youth’s capital programme will be published in Autumn 2025.
The department continues to liaise with the school and its patron body in relation to interim accommodation pending delivery of the permanent school. The school will be re-locating from its existing accommodation on a DDLETB owned site in Citywest to new modular accommodation on a site in Newcastle, Co. Dublin located within its school planning area.
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