Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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217. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the construction of a school (details supplied); and if there is a target completion date. [54128/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will deliver a new 750 pupil post-primary school with accommodation and 4 classrooms for children with special educational needs.

This project is being delivered as part of my Department's ADAPT Programme which uses a professional external Programme Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Integrated Project Team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the stages of Architectural Planning, to Tender and Construction.

This ADAPT 4 Programme – Programme Innovate will be led by Integrated Project Teams (IPT’s), consisting of highly skilled and experienced design professionals, architects, engineers, project managers, quantity surveyors and various other consultants to deliver the projects.

The procurement process to appoint the IPT has recently concluded. The IPT have now commenced the first stage of Architectural Planning - Stage 1 - Preliminary Design (assessment of site and location suitability, and initial sketch scheme).

It will not be possible to provide a timeframe for the progression of the project to tender and construction stages until such time as the necessary statutory approvals have been secured.

My Department will keep the school and patron body informed of the progression of this project through the stages of architectural planning.

In July, 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 roll-out 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 roll-out 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 year. 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.