Denis Naughten
Question:70. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the steps she is taking to deliver on her capital building programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4009/22]
View answerTuesday, 1 February 2022
Questions (70)
Written answers
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.
The key drivers of capital investment in the schools sector are as follows:
demographic change,
alignment with housing provision and national planning at school planning area level,
construction costs,
catch-up to address legacy of underinvestment; and
climate action objectives including deep energy retrofit.
My Department has a large pipeline of projects for delivery under the school building programme. The main elements of this pipeline currently involve in excess of 1,200 school building projects for delivery under the Department’s Large Scale and Additional Accommodation Scheme. These projects are currently in progress across the various stages of planning, design, tender and construction .
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. Most of which are expected to be either under construction or completed in the period up to 2025 and are being progressed as quickly as possible.
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.
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 64,000 school places.
It is anticipated that 150 to 200 school building projects will be completed annually during the 2022 to 2025 period.