316. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide funding to a school (details supplied) for improved parking facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54379/26]

I can confirm that my department is in receipt of an application for funding under the Additional Schools Accommodation (ASA) scheme from the school in question. The school was issued a provisional letter of offer following their application for capital funding.

My department has recently published the €7.55 billion NDP Sectoral Investment Plan for the Education and Youth Sectors for the period 2026 to 2030. This NDP Sectoral Plan involves a very strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. In this regard there will be a very strong special education dimension to project rollout. This allows the department to keep a strong focus on the provision of additional capacity to cater for demographics, new housing developments and the rollout of additional special classes for children with additional needs. This approach reflects the department’s fundamental objective of ensuring the availability of a school place for every child.

My department will continue to build on the progress made over recent years with the continued roll-out of projects on a prioritised basis to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities. A department-led prioritisation process will continue over the course of 2026 and 2027 to assess and evaluate the progression of individual projects through the architectural design pipeline. This process will involve engagement with key stakeholders and individual schools. The department will further engage with patrons regarding how best to address both the school community’s immediate and longer-term requirements in order to ensure it can cater for its enrolments.

A number of factors are considered by my department in determining the most appropriate construction method to meet a school’s accommodation requirements, including the timing and duration of that accommodation need, and other school-specific factors. Modern methods of construction are an increasingly important feature of the construction landscape. The department’s modular programme is part of this and provides permanent and sustainable accommodation solutions.

Approximately 85% of the 584 additional special classes sanctioned by the NCSE for the upcoming school year are being established in repurposed existing classrooms with a further 10% being delivered as part of traditional building rollout and the remaining 5% involving the provision of a new modular classrooms.

The accommodation needs at the school in question is currently being considered and a project manager has been appointed to lead this project and to undertake a viability report for the modular scope of works proposed and accessibility will be considered in this context. My department will be back in contact with the school authorities as soon as the viability report has been received from the project manager.