100. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will ensure that a building project for a school (details supplied) will proceed to the next stage at an early date in view of the urgent need to provide much needed additional permanent accommodation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54152/26]

The school to which the Deputy refers was approved to enter my Department's pipeline of projects under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) section. The project will provide two science labs and one prep area, one home economics room, one music room, one textiles room, a two class-room special educational needs (SEN) base and ancillary accommodation. This project was devolved to the school authority to deliver.

The Stage 1 (preliminary design) report has been submitted to my department and is currently under review. In line with the Department's Infrastructure Guidelines, all school projects, including this one, are subject to the necessary technical and cost assessment as part of this process. Given the complexity of the evaluation and the need to ensure full cost compliance and alignment with the National Development Plan, this review is necessarily thorough.

My Department recently contacted the school authority to provide an update on the project’s status and to outline the current project prioritisation process.

Progression of this project will form part of my Department’s broader work under the National Development Plan (NDP) Implementation Plan. At this point, while it is not possible to provide indicative timelines for advancement to further stages, the project remains under active review and will be progressed when the wider implementation framework permits.