120. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of all school building projects in County Cork; the timeline since the last stage was entered into for each project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40790/26]

As the Deputy will be aware, I have recently published the €7.55 billion NDP Sectoral Investment Plan for the Education and Youth Sectors for the period 2026 to 2030.

Of the total €7.55 billion investment it is envisaged that circa. €5 billion will be used for project rollout to support the delivery and modernisation of school buildings. An additional €2.25 billion of NDP funding will focus on supporting the existing school estate including in terms of maintenance, minor works and the Climate Action Summer Works Scheme.

Project rollout under the NDP will continue on a prioritised basis within the parameters of available funding to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities. In this regard, I have also published a list of the 105 school building projects in the first tranche to proceed to construction or tender over 2026 and 2027. These projects were prioritised with a strong focus on maximising existing capacity and prioritising project rollout to meet the most urgent needs.

Since 2020, the Department of Education has provided €796.58 million in capital funding for Cork schools. Over this period, a total of 168 schools have been upgraded either through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. 12 school projects to go to tender or construction in 2026 and 2027 were included in the NDP Implementation Plan. As of end of April 2026, there are 18 school projects in Cork under construction.

This summer, 35 schools are approved to undergo works as part of the Climate Action Summer Works Scheme. In addition, since 2020 a total of 369 special classes have been sanctioned in Cork, of which 63 were sanctioned for September 2026.

My department will continue to engage with patrons and schools in Cork and across the country to inform targeted and prioritised capital investment. This will include the identification of any urgently required works or capacity needs, with stakeholder consultation to commence in June 2026. The next tranche of projects to proceed to tender is expected to be announced in 2027.

The current status of all projects is set out under item number ten at the following link (www.gov.ie). This is updated on a regular basis to reflect project progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction.