Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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123. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to a school (details supplied) that has submitted an additional school accommodation application to build modulars to expand their special education provision; if can she confirm whether approval will be granted for the necessary modular accommodation for (details supplied), a school which has been actively seeking sanction to open two additional special classes in response to identified local need; to provide a timeline on when their application will be assessed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17338/26]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I can confirm that my department has received an application for capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question.

The purpose of my department’s ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.

The consideration of the accommodation requirements for the school in question forms part of the Planning and Building Unit’s overall assessment of its work programme and priorities in the context of available capital funding.

The provision of required school places, including for children with special educational needs, is a priority for the department and officials are working to ensure that there is sufficient provision to meet the school place needs in the school in question and the wider School Planning Area for future years.

The department is guided by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in relation to the requirement for special classes in the first instance. When a special class has been sanctioned in a school by the NCSE, a sanction letter is then issued. The school's application for accommodation will then be reviewed by my officials in the context of the department's NDP priorities, whereby projects will be rolled out on a prioritised basis to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities.

The application from the school in question will be kept under review in this context.