Schools Building Projects

I welcome the opportunity to raise the delays affecting school building projects across Cork and throughout the country. I welcome the Minister’s presence in the Chamber. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. She will also appreciate the question I have put down is a broad topic, so I do not expect a reply to every single individual question I have. Perhaps we could liaise on all of them. As a former secondary school teacher, I understand, as does the Minister, the importance of proper school facilities. I also understand this from personal experience. Following the devastating fire at the Patrician Academy in Mallow in 2016, I spent years being educated in temporary accommodation. As a student, I wrote to the Minister’s former colleague, Joe McHugh, who was Minister for Education, asking when permanent classrooms would be delivered. They were delivered last year. Years later, I find myself asking the same questions on behalf of other school communities. I want to raise three particular cases today. The first is Coláiste an Chroí Naofa in Carraig na bhFear. I recently visited the school and met acting principal Andrew Barry. I saw first hand the challenges facing students and staff, particularly children with additional educational needs. The building project remains at stage 2B. Approximately €900,000 has already been spent yet the planning permission is due to expire in 2027. We cannot allow a project with such significant investment to face further delays that could jeopardise its planning permission. The Minister will be aware I have requested an urgent meeting between herself, the school management, myself and the Department. I am asking that the Minister consider that. I recognise the opening of the North Cork Community Special School in Carraig na bhFear. It is really welcome. Ballincollig is a rapidly growing community. Le Chéile Secondary School opened there in 2021 while Gaelscoil an Chaisleain opened in 2017. Both continue operating in temporary accommodation while awaiting permanent buildings at Lisheens. The secondary school is planned to accommodate approximately 1,000 students, including six special education classrooms. Ballincollig's population increased by more than 13% between 2016 and 2022 and substantial further housing development is planned and rezoning has been done. I acknowledge my Labour Party colleague, Councillor Ciara O'Connor, who represents Ballincollig on Cork City Council and has been working tirelessly to advance these schools building projects. Councillor O'Connor has been pursuing the outstanding land transfer with Cork City Council and advocating for the school communities to receive the permanent accommodation they deserve. Yet when I received replies to parliamentary questions about this in July, the legal transfer remained outstanding. Has that transfer finally been completed and will construction begin? The third is the Convent Primary School in my hometown, Mallow, which has been seeking progress on its building project for many years. The project is to provide five dedicated classrooms for children with additional needs, alongside mainstream education. What is preventing this project progressing and when can the school expect to receive a clear timetable? This is a much wider issue, namely the State's dependence on prefabricated accommodation. In 2024 alone, €28.8 million was spent on renting prefabs in 440 schools nationwide, including €3.7 million in my county of Cork. At the Committee of Public Accounts, the Department confirmed that overall school accommodation rental expenditure reached €37 million in 2025. That is €37 million in one year for renting school accommodation instead of owning it. I accept temporary accommodation in emergency circumstances is necessary but our priority should be properly designed, permanent, brick and mortar schools. I would, therefore, welcome an improvement to the system in terms of choosing it as a permanent solution. I would welcome engagement from the Minister on the schools I referenced.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht an ábhair seo a ardú mar tugann sé deis dom staid reatha na hinfheistíochta in eastát na scoile a leagadh amach don Dáil. As the Deputy will be aware, my Department published the €7.55 billion national development plan, NDP, sectoral investment plan for the education and youth sectors for the period 2026 to 2030 earlier this year. The capital allocation available to the Department of Education and Youth in 2026 is €1.6 billion and in 2027, it is €1.6 billion. That represents a significant level of investment in the school estate. The NDP sectoral plan involves a strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. The plan included a list of 105 school building projects to proceed to construction or tender in 2026 and 2027. Some 56 of these projects have now been completed, commenced construction or received approval to commence construction. Further modular and smaller scale additional accommodation projects also continued to be progressed to meet annual September needs. It is important to note that the list of 105 projects to move to tender and construction in 2026 and 2027 represents a subset of all projects currently being progressed. Overall, approximately 1,000 school building projects of varying scales will be on site during the course of 2026 with a similar level expected in 2027. This represents a significant level of investment in the upgrade and expansion of the school estate. It includes large scale projects, additional accommodation and modular projects, repurposing for special classes, climate action summer works and the climate pathfinder programme. The next tranche of projects for progression to tender is expected to be announced in 2027. Prioritisation is ongoing and has included consultation with patrons and management bodies. As part of the NDP plan, clarity has also been provided to schools on an annual December-January payment period for minor works and ICT grants to schools. The minor works for the 2026-2027 school year issued in December 2025 and the ICT grants for the school year 2025-2026 issued in January. Since 2020, in the region of €330 million in minor works grants was issued to schools. Investment under the NDP plan also involves the delivery of the first tranche of 297 projects under the climate action summer works scheme. Is féidir liom a dhearbhú don Teachta go bhfuil mo Roinn fós tiomanta bonneagar scoile ar ardchaighdeán a sholáthar chun freastal ar an éileamh, agus go leanfaidh muid ag obair go dlúth le scoileanna ar fud na tíre chun tosaíochtaí infheistíochta caipitil a chur i bhfeidhm.

I recognise the significant investment that has been put into capital building projects in our school communities. Will the next tranche of projects be announced in mid, early or late 2027? As the Minister will have noted from my opening piece, Carrignavar's planning permission is due to expire in October 2027. Carrignavar school is in immediate danger of its planning permission lapsing. There is an expectation in the school community that the building project will begin. There are two issues, the certainty for school communities and the value for taxpayers' money. Projects are undergoing technical reviews, awaiting approval and progressing through appropriate stages. They are the responses we are receiving from the Department but it is hard to determine what to give back to schools. The same question is coming up: what does that actually mean? In Carrignavar, approximately €900,000 has already been spent, yet the planning permission is approaching expiry. I ask the Minister to commit to meeting the school management. I wrote to her about this only yesterday, which is to be appreciated. In Ballincollig, two schools are awaiting permanent school buildings. I would appreciate if the Minister could confirm to me in writing whether the land transfer at Lisheens has been completed. I would also appreciate if a clear update on the Convent Primary School Mallow can be provided to the school management. To return to the issue of prefabs, the Department spent approximately €37 million renting school accommodation in 2025 alone. That is money spent year after year without necessarily delivering a permanent asset for the State. There is a difference between a school being grateful for an additional classroom and a school choosing that accommodation as its long-term future. Our priority must be permanent, properly designed, brick-and-mortar schools. Ultimately, I am asking for delivery dates and not a list of administrative stages.

Since 2020, the Department of Education and Youth has provided over €229 million in capital funding for schools in Cork North-Central. Over this period, 34 schools have been upgraded through provision of a new school building, an extension, modular accommodation or climate pathfinders. Five school projects to go to tender or construction in 2026 and 2027 were included in the NDP implementation plan. Four large-scale extension, modular or climate pathfinder projects in Cork North-Central are under construction and eight projects are under way through the climate action summer works scheme. Nineteen classes have also been sanctioned in Cork North-Central for 2026. Regarding the NDP, prior to the summer break, departmental officials contacted in the region of 250 schools by telephone to provide an update on the projects' status, prioritising those that had had a stage submission with the Department for six months or more. During these calls, the stage report review requirements and the overall process for prioritisation were outlined. Schools were also invited to share any relevant information regarding their accommodation needs to inform the prioritisation process. In addition, officials have visited a number of schools that have expressed urgent additional needs, pending the delivery of their major projects. My officials will continue to engage with schools over the coming months and to provide any necessary guidance. Additionally, the planning and building unit officials met with all patrons and management bodies in June of this year to outline their prioritisation approach and to seek feedback from them to inform future tranches. The Department is targeting 2027 for the publication of the next tranche of priority projects to proceed to tender. Since 2020, the Department has invested over €7.55 billion in our schools throughout the country. Is é seo an leibhéal ab airde infheistíochta i bhfoirgnimh scoile riamh. We can come back to the Deputy directly on the specific schools he mentioned.