1107. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth the timeframe for the provision of a new school building for a school (details supplied) and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59772/26]

As the Deputy is aware, my Department is in receipt of an application for large scale capital funding from the school in question to provide a new school building.

My Department has published the €7.55 billion NDP Sectoral Investment Plan for the Education and Youth Sectors for the period 2026 to 2030. In line with the NDP Sectoral Plan, capital investment will be targeted and prioritised to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs, focusing on maximising the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance.

My department will continue to build on the progress made over recent years with the continued rollout of projects on a prioritised basis and in consultation with patrons to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities.

The Department-led Energy and Condition Survey of the school estate will provide an additional evidence base for assessing priorities and will give a good picture of the nature of accommodation at all schools and will facilitate good strategic overview and decision-making on relative priorities between schools for further investment in the existing school estate.

Applications for large scale projects require detailed analysis in line with the Government’s Infrastructure Guidelines and must consider a wide range of factors including the school’s accommodation requirements, the condition of existing accommodation, site constraints, available accommodation capacity across schools in the area, school building projects already in train, projected demand for places in the school planning area, timing of requirements, value for money, and affordability within NDP funding envelopes.

It is in this context that the school's application will be considered and in due course a decision on this application will be communicated directly to the school authority.

The Deputy will appreciate that due to the detailed level of oversight required under the Government’s Infrastructure Guidelines, and the multiple factors that must be considered when evaluating applications for large-scale projects, I am not in a position at this time, to provide a definitive timeline for the completion of the assessment process.