Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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443. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the need to repair and upgrade the playground in a school (details supplied); the grant options available to the school to address these safety concerns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54890/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I should explain that applications relating to the provision of funding for issues relating to an existing school building, including repairs and/or upgrades to play areas, can fall under a number of different delivery mechanisms including, most frequently, the Summer Works Scheme and the Emergency Works Scheme.

The purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies. It does so by ensuring the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation.

An emergency is deemed to be a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or the environment, which is sudden, unforeseen and requires immediate action, and in the case of a school, if not corrected would prevent the school or part thereof from opening.

The EWS operates on the basis of the minimal scope of works required to remedy an emergency situation. The EWS usually provides an interim solution until such time as a comprehensive solution can be provided under the Summer Works Scheme (SWS).

The purpose of the SWS is to enable individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works on a devolved basis and, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school.

In the case of the school in question it should be noted that there are currently no outstanding EWS or SWS projects for the repair or upgrade of a play area. Climate Action Summer works opened for applications on the 1st May 2025 and the applications window closed on the 30th June full details of the scheme can be found under . The EWS is open for applications year-round.