Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 February 2022
512. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education the extent to which her Department continues to respond expeditiously to requests for new schools or extensions to existing schools at primary and second-level throughout the country including County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5119/22]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, under Project Ireland 2040, the education sector will receive a total of approximately €4.4 billion capital investment over the period 2021-2025. This significant investment allows us to move forward with certainty on our ambitious plans and deliver high quality building projects, with a real focus on sustainability, for school communities across Ireland.
This investment will build on the good progress being made on adding capacity to cater for demographic changes and provision for children with special educational needs. This investment will also facilitate an increased focus on the modernisation of existing school stock and help transition the school system for an era of net zero carbon by 2050.
Approximately 1,200 school building projects are currently in progress across the various stages of planning, design, tender and construction – most of which are expected to be either under construction or completed in the period 2021 to 2025.
During the period 2018 to 2021 691 school building projects were completed under the Large Scale Capital Programme (LSCP) and the Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA). These projects delivered in excess of 64000 school places. 19 of these projects delivered were in County Kildare; 16 of those were primary schools including one special school and 3 were post-primary school building projects.
My Department continues to work to assess applications for such capital funding and progress approved projects as quickly as possible and it is anticipated that 150 to 200 school building projects will be completed annually during the 2022 to 2025 period.
It is anticipated that 150 to 200 school building projects will be completed annually during the 2022 to 2025 period. There are currently in excess of 250 school building projects at construction (on site) with a continuous stream of other projects at or near the tendering stage. These are being progressed as quickly as possible.
The current status of these projects being delivered is listed on a county by county basis on www.gov.ie and is updated on a monthly basis to reflect their progress through the stages.
