Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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62. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills f the tender process has concluded at a school (details supplied); if so, if sufficient qualifying contractors were identified; if the evaluation of tender submissions has been completed; if so, the outcome; if a preferred contractor has been formally appointed; if not, when this expected will take place; if the project remains on schedule to commence construction in Q1 and Q2 2026, as previously stated by her school visit in May 2025; and if a public or written notice will be issued regarding the appointment of the successful contractor and confirmation of the project timeline. [50619/25]

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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67. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when she expects the tender process to begin for the construction of a school (details supplied); to confirm that the project remains on schedule to commence construction in Q1/Q2 of 2026, as confirmed by the Minister in May 2025; if her Department will issue a public notice regarding the appointment of a successful contractor; if she will provide a preliminary project outline; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50714/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 67 together.

The large scale capital project for the school referred to by the Deputy is the provision of a new 600 pupil school building including all associated ancillary accommodation.

My Department previously advised a new grant of planning was received in December 2023, with a number of conditions attached. Decarbonisation measures were included in a revised project scope in line with Climate Action objectives.

The design team have finalised the pre-tender checks and documents and a report was recently received and is currently under review by department officials.

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.