Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 April 2024
284. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education for an update on the timeline for the provision of a new school building (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18811/24]
View answerSince 2020, the Department of Education has invested in the region of €4.5 billion in our schools throughout the country. Around 800 school building projects have been completed and 300 other projects are under construction.
School building projects under construction involve an overall State investment of over €1.2 billion.
This is a record level of investment and highlights the department’s very strong track record in providing additional capacity and modern facilities for our school communities.
The permanent building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is part of a shared educational campus project which will deliver two 1,000 pupil post-primary schools and accommodation, including 6 classrooms, for children with special educational needs and an 8 classroom primary school and accommodation, including 2 classrooms, for children with special educational needs.
The project will be delivered under my Department's ADAPT Programme which uses a professional external Project Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the stages of Architectural Planning, to Tender and Construction.
The Project Manager was appointed in Q3 2023 and is in the process of preparing documentation for the tender process for the appointment of multi-disciplinary design team consultants.
It is not possible to provide a timeframe for the progression of the project to tender and construction stages until such time as the necessary statutory approvals have been secured.
My Department will keep the schools and their patron bodies informed of the progression of this campus project and will continue to liaise in relation to interim accommodation pending delivery of the permanent accommodation for the schools.
