1322. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the large-scale project at a school (details supplied); the consideration that is being given to the sustainability report submitted to her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57743/26]

The project to which the Deputy refers, has been devolved for delivery to Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB).

This project is currently at Stage 2B of the architectural design process. This stage allows for detailed design and planning, obtaining necessary statutory permissions and preparation of tender documents. A Stage 2B report been submitted to my department from LOETB. The report is undergoing a detailed technical and cost review in line with the Public Spending Code. All projects, including this one, are subject to the due diligence requirements of the Public Infrastructure Guidelines. Managing timing, scope, and cost is crucial to staying within budgetary limits for the overall program. Once the review is complete, the outcome will be communicated to LOETB as the delivery body for this project who will continue to engage directly with the school authorities to keep them fully informed.

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 €116 million in capital funding has been invested in County Offaly schools since 2020. Over this period, a total of 32 schools in County Offaly have been upgraded either through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. There are also currently 6 school projects in County Offaly 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.