Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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900. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for the latest update on the stage 2a report of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46101/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The joint major building project for the schools referred to by the deputy are currently at Stage 2(a) of Architectural Planning - Developed Design - which is a crucial element of the architectural planning process as it is at this stage that the design is developed to a stage where it can be fully cost planned and prepared to lodge for statutory approvals.

Upon receipt of the revised Stage 2(a) Report my Department officials carried out an initial review and arranged an architectural workshop with the Design Team Lead in May 2025 to discuss further.

In early June 2025 a further meeting was held with the wider Design Team, school authorities and Department officials in attendance. At that meeting the school were provided with a progress update and advised that the Design Team are due to submit an Addendum S2a Report to my Department in late June.

Following receipt of the Addendum Report, my department officials will carry out a review in due course and subject to no delays or issues arising, the Stage 2a stakeholders meeting will be scheduled with the school authorities.

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.