1296. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the progress made to date on the planning application for works at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57459/26]

The school building project to which the Deputy refers, Kilkenny City Vocational School and Coláiste Pobail Osraí, have been devolved to the Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board (KCETB) for delivery as part of a single campus development.

The approved brief for Kilkenny City Vocational School provides for a new post-primary school building with a long-term projected enrolment of 550 pupils, including a 2-classroom SEN provision.

The project is currently progressing through Stage 2b of the architectural planning process, which encompasses detailed design, securing the necessary statutory permissions, and the preparation of tender documentation.

My department has a strong track record of delivering the school building programme with over €7 billion invested since 2020. This has delivered approximately 1,400 completed school building projects and over 4,000 smaller-scale improvement projects. Over €214 million in capital funding has been invested in County Kilkenny schools since 2020. Over this period, a total of 46 schools in County Kilkenny have been upgraded either through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. There are also currently 3 school projects in County Kilkenny under construction.

A total capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth has been confirmed for the period 2026-2030 under the National Development Plan. As part of this NDP allocation my department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs. In relation to project rollout for Large-Scale projects and Additional School Accommodation scheme projects, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project rollout over the course of 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs.

As part of the department-led prioritisation process underway for 2026 and 2027, consultation with school patrons began this month. A further tranche of priority projects is targeted for publication in 2027, informed by departmental analysis, engagement with patrons and schools, funding parameters, and—where relevant—the department’s energy and condition inventory of the school estate, due for completion by year-end. Projects will need to be at an appropriate stage of readiness to be considered.

The current status of all projects continues to be 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