Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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298. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the current status of a school’s application (details supplied) under the additional accommodation scheme; when a decision will issue; whether it will proceed to the next stage, as the works are urgently needed by the school and its pupils; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66858/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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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. 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 roll-out 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 roll-out over the course of 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs.

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.

Phase 1 of the reconfiguration works for the school referred to by the Deputy was completed in May 2025 and this resulted in new accommodation for the school including a new Technology/Graphics room, modern toilet block, disabled access toilet, a deputy principal's office and improved access to the permanent building of the school.

My department has had a number of discussions previously with the school authorities in relation to the proposed phase 2 element of the project and is exploring a number of options and the need for further discussions with the local county council. The department will be in further contact with the school authorities directly on this matter shortly.