Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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288. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the funding streams available for secondary schools to upgrade/refurbish home economics rooms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66777/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The Climate Action Summer Works Scheme provides for funding to be devolved 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. The CASWS operates on a multi-annual basis for a number of categories which includes the upgrade/refurbishment of home economics rooms.

The new CASWS was open to all schools to apply for funding and closed for applications on the 30th of June 2025. In the past week 297 projects were approved under the new CASWS. It is anticipated that the next tranche of approvals will be announced in the latter half of 2026.

Full details of the new CASWS, Circular (0029/2025) for the scheme and guidance documents for schools can be found at the below link:

(www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/services/summer-works-scheme/) .