Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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450. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide funding to carryout significant improvement works to the older schools in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66161/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The purpose of the Summer Works Scheme is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works which, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. Under the terms of the scheme, school authorities are empowered to manage these works with guidance from and minimal interaction with the Department of Education.

Since 2020 in the region of €8m has been invested in summer works schemes in Kerry.

As the Deputy may be aware, In November 2025 the Minister announced the first tranche of approvals under the new Climate Action Summer Works Scheme. 297 projects were approved to proceed and involve primary, post primary and special schools, along with projects in all counties and across all categories of works. The investment in the first tranche of applications is in the region of €90m.

Given that funding is limited in any particular year it is necessary to prioritise applications. Under the new climate action summer works scheme which operates on a multi annual basis , like previous summer works schemes, applications from schools that were not reached for funding or market prioritisation reasons in the first tranche of approvals will qualify to be assessed for purposes of the funding available for climate action summer works in subsequent years.

In the latest tranche of approvals 20 Schools in Kerry were approved across a number of categories of works.

Full details of the Climate Action Works Scheme including details of the first tranche of approvals can be found at . (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/services/summer-works-scheme/).