Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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58. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the extension and provision of two new SEN classrooms for a school (details supplied); the actions she will take to ensure this project is progressed without further delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6700/26]

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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59. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the planning permission deadline for progressing the extension and provision of two new SEN classrooms for a school (details supplied); the actions she will take to ensure this project is progressed without further delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6701/26]

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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60. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the concerns of school management in school (details supplied) in relation to the risk of cost increases related to delays in progressing an extension and two new SEN classrooms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6702/26]

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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61. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the actions she will take to ensure that there is no further delay to the provision of two new SEN classes in a school (details supplied) to reflect the significant demand for SEN places in the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6703/26]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 to 61, inclusive, together.

The school referred to was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline of school buildings under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme for a project providing 2 mainstream classrooms and 2 SET rooms. This project is devolved to the school authority for delivery.

A Stage 3 (tender report) has been received by my Department which is currently being reviewed. All projects, including this one, will undergo the necessary due diligence outlined in the Public Infrastructure Guidelines. Managing timing, scope, current market costs along with any additional costs will form part of this review process.

The Department is acutely aware that the project’s planning permission is due to expire, and this is a key factor in the current review. In addition, the project is being considered within the Department’s wider NDP planning, which the school authority was recently advised of. Officials are working to ensure that all necessary actions are progressed efficiently and within the required planning timeframe.

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.

The NDP Implementation Plan for the Education and Youth sector and the first tranche of projects to progress to tender or construction will be published by my department shortly. This NDP Implementation 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.