Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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743. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on an application by a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58633/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Investment and expenditure on sports facilities in both primary and post-primary schools is an element of the overall expenditure and investment in the School Building Programme. The provision of GP rooms and PE Halls, at primary and post primary level respectively, and outdoor hard play areas, form part of the accommodation brief for all new school buildings. This is also the case where a major building or refurbishment project is being delivered for an existing school as part of the department’s large-scale building programme. Almost 95% of the post primary schools that made 2020 Annual Schools Returns have indicated to my department that they either have a PE Hall, access to a nearby PE Hall, or a project in train that will deliver a new PE Hall. Practically all schools have outdoor play areas, and many schools use adjacent local facilities, including community halls, public parks, playing fields and swimming pools.

Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. 111 of these were large scale school projects all of which would have included extensive accommodation including outdoor play areas. 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.

All Government departments are expected to publish their sectoral NDP Implementation Plans in November. 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. Funding will also be invested to support curricular delivery and well-being across schools by prioritising the development of Physical Education halls and sporting facilities for schools in conjunction with the Sports Capital Fund to deliver for both schools and communities. This will also further support the increasing roll-out of PE as a leaving-certificate subject for post-primary schools.

The school referred to by the deputy currently has an Additional School Accommodation (ASA) application with the department at design stage for provision of additional special education needs (SEN) accommodation.