Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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420. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will address matters concerning health and safety, transport and new build, raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54696/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered as part of the Department's ADAPT Programme. The Adapt Programme uses a professional external Programme Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the stages of Architectural Planning to Tender and Construction.

The brief for this project is to provide a new permanent school building for the school referred to by the Deputy, and this project is designed to be delivered in 2 phases; Phase 1 will deliver accommodation for 425 students and Phase 2 will deliver the remaining accommodation to provide for a Long Term Projected Enrolment of 1,000 students, at the former Magee Barracks site in Kildare.

The Design Team lodged their initial application for planning permission for the preferred design option with the Local Authority in October 2023. The Design Team subsequently received a substantial Request for Further Information (RFI) from the Local Authority in respect of the planning application. Following the Design Teams RFI response to the Local Authority, the Design Team received the Local Authority’s initial decision to grant planning permission, with conditions, on 09 October 2024.

The initial grant of planning decision has since been appealed to An Bord Pleanála and the Design Team received An Bord Pleanála’s decision to grant planning permission in early February 2025.

The project is currently at Architectural Planning Stage 3 – Tender Action and Award. The tender returns have recently been received and a review of the tender returns is currently ongoing by the Design Team to formulate a tender report for the Department’s review and comments.

On completion of the tender report review by my Department the letter of intent (LOI) is expected to issue to the successful tenderer. Once a Contractor has been appointed, it is anticipated that construction would commence shortly thereafter.

My Department has been liaising with the school and their patron bodies in relation to the formal arrangements and next steps.

The school is currently located in accommodation in the ownership of the Department of Defence. Pending completion of the new school building project, my Department will continue to work with the patron bodies to ensure that the accommodation is appropriate for the school’s needs.

In relation to the school’s current accommodation, it is open to the school in question to apply for my Department’s Emergency Works Scheme (EWS), which will consider applications for funding to address any immediate health and safety issues arising.

An emergency is 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 purpose of the Climate Action Summer Works Scheme (CASWS) 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. The CASWS operates on a multi-annual basis for categories of works such as roof works, electrical works, mechanical works, external works etc.

The CASWS opened to new applications on the 1st May 2025 and the application window closed on the 30th of June 2025. Full details of the new CASWS, Circular (0029/2025) for the scheme and guidance documents for schools can be found at the below link: Summer Works Scheme

Under the terms of the Primary School Transport scheme, children are eligible for transport at post primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

In cases where families have applied to attend their nearest schools with regard to ethos and language and have been advised by the school authorities that these schools are full, the department will consider if the pupil is eligible to the next nearest school.

While the closest school(s) may be full to capacity at present, each family must supply the documents mentioned below, to School Transport Section of the Department of Education and Youth.

• an application for enrolment was made within the deadline dates specified by the school(s), and
• a letter from each of the school authorities confirming that the school was full.