James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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163. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on an extension for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55909/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline of school buildings under the Additional School Accommodation scheme to provide a 2 classroom SEN base and 1 mainstream classroom. The project is devolved to the School Authority for delivery.

I can confirm that my Department awaits a Stage 1 report for review. Once the Stage 1 submission is received it will be reviewed from both a technical and cost perspective in accordance with the requirements of the Public Infrastructure Guidelines. All projects, including this one, will undergo the necessary due diligence outlined in the public Infrastructure Guidelines. Managing timing, scope, and cost is crucial to staying within budgetary limits for the overall program.

It is now within the remit of the school authority to progress this very important project.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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164. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on an extension of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55910/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the Department's pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide 6 general classrooms, 1 technical graphics room, 1 woodwork room, 2 Science rooms including a shared preparation area, 1 home economics room and a 2 classroom SEN base.

This project was approved to proceed to Stage 3 (tender) in Q4 2024. My Department recently contacted the school authority for an update and is currently awaiting the Stage 3 Tender report. Once received, the project will be considered within the overall capital programme pipeline. Progression to the next stage is subject to the Government’s Infrastructure Guidelines and the required due diligence under the Public Infrastructure Guidelines. Managing timing, scope, and cost is crucial to staying within budgetary limits for the overall program.

It is within the remit of the school authority to progress the project accordingly.

John Clendennen (Offaly, Fine Gael)
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165. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on a project (details supplied); the likely timeline for completion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55919/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the departments pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide a 3 classroom SEN Base.The project was devolved to the school for delivery.

Approval to proceed to Stage 2b (developed design) was granted in April 2024. In June 2025, the Design Team advised they were finalising design elements and preparing tender documentation. The Department is currently awaiting the Stage 2b pre-tender report.

Once received, the report will undergo a detailed technical and cost review in line with the Public Spending Code. All projects, including this one, are subject to the due diligence requirements of the Public Infrastructure Guidelines. Managing timing, scope, and cost is crucial to staying within budgetary limits for the overall program.

Since 2020, the Department of Education and Youth has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving the completion of over 1,400 school building projects. Government support for this investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, has delivered real benefits for school communities. Supplementary capital funding of €210 million approved by Government has brought the total capital allocation for 2025 for my department to €1.6 billion.

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 the 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.

The 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.

Department officials have actively engaged with the Design Team throughout and will continue to engage with the school authority to provide practical advice and assistance on this very important project.

John Clendennen (Offaly, Fine Gael)
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166. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on a project (details supplied); the likely timeline for completion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55920/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the departments pipeline of school buildings to provide a 2 classroom SEN base and to replace displaced accommodation. The project was devolved to the school for delivery.

A Stage 3 Tender Report has been received and is under review in line with the Public Spending Code. Department officials are currently assessing options to ensure value for money and to keep the project within anticipated costs. Once this review is complete, my department will communicate the outcome to the school authority.

Since 2020, the Department of Education and Youth has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving the completion of over 1,400 school building projects. Government support for this investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, has delivered real benefits for school communities. Supplementary capital funding of €210 million approved by Government has brought the total capital allocation for 2025 for my department to €1.6 billion.

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 the 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. This will be the context for assessing all project rollout for the 2026 to 2030 period including in relation to this school.