Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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845. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the timeframe for a decision on an application under the additional school accommodation scheme (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45805/25]

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 for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme from the school in question.

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 and where the need cannot be met by the school's existing accommodation or at other schools in the area.

In July, the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026-2030 under the National Development Plan. As part of this NDP allocation my department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs. In relation to project rollout for Large-Scale projects and Additional School Accommodation scheme projects, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project rollout over the course of 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs.

My department is now preparing an NDP implementation plan which is due for publication later in the Autumn. This plan will optimise outputs from the NDP allocations, with a strong focus on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is insufficient, and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money, and meets functional needs.

I can confirm to the Deputy that the school's application is being considered in this context and my officials have been in contact with the school authority in relation to the application. My officials remain available to work with the school authorities throughout this process. I can assure the Deputy that the application will be assessed as soon as possible, and a decision will issue to the school authorities directly in due course.

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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846. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on a modular building for a school (details supplied); when the building will be ready for use; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45814/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased to advise the Deputy that repurposing works to improve the school's existing accommodation have been completed. The target date for completion of site works associated with the installation of the modular accommodation is 22 September. There are a number of days required following this date for statutory approval to enable the occupation of the building.