Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

291. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will expedite a project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49924/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The project for the school to which the Deputy refers, has been devolved to Le Cheile Trust for delivery of the project.

Following a stage 2a meeting in Q4 2024 additional information was requested from the Design Team. This has been recently received and is currently under review in accordance with Public Infrastructure Guidelines. The outcome of this review will be communicated to the School Authority in due course.

In July 2025 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.