Micheál Carrigy (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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270. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a building project (details supplied); if she will provide an update on the project’s progress within her Department’s building programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49643/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The school to which the Deputy refers to was approved to enter the departments pipeline of school building projects under the Additional Schools Accommodation (ASA) Scheme to provide a 5 General Classrooms, 1 Music room, 1 Multimedia room, 1 Textiles room, 1 Science lab, 1 Prep area and Ancillary and to include the demolition/removal of 1 prefab. The project has been devolved for delivery to the Longford and Westmeath Education and Training Board (LWETB).

The Stage 1 report for the project was received by my department and is currently being reviewed from both a technical and cost perspective in accordance with the requirements of the Public Spending Code. All projects, including this one, will undergo the necessary due diligence outlined in the public Infrastructure Guidelines.

Furthermore, 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.

The NDP implementation plan will be considered as part of the ongoing review of this school building project. Once the NDP implementation plan is finalised my Department will be in a position to inform LWETB with the outcome for the progression of this much needed project.