Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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652. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to confirm that a school project (details supplied) )will proceed to tendering as planned in the last quarter of 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57945/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The project for the school referred to by the Deputy will provide a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school building and accommodation, including 4 classrooms, for children with special educational needs on the permanent site for the school. The project will be delivered under my Department's Design and Build Programme.

The decision to grant planning permission for the permanent school was received from An Bord Pleanála on 25th October 2023. The next stage for this school building project is tender stage.

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. It is planned that circa 80 school building projects will progress to construction across 2026 and 2027 as part of a 2-year rolling programme.

My department is now preparing an NDP implementation plan which is due for publication later this year. My department’s 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.

My department will continue to keep the school and its patron body updated on progress and next steps.