500. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will provide an estimated cost comparison between incorporating permanent SEN classrooms into the new school buildings at a school (details supplied) and providing prefab classrooms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64491/26]

A key focus of the published NDP Sectoral Plan for Education and Youth 2026-2030 is ensuring that children with additional needs are supported in an integrated, inclusive and timely manner. Funding will enable the development of new special schools, the upgrading of existing facilities, and the creation of additional places in special classes and special schools.

In overall terms, it is important to have a range of delivery mechanisms for delivering school accommodation to support the current very strong and ambitious rollout of school building projects. A number of factors are considered by my department in determining the most appropriate delivery mechanism and construction method to meet a school’s accommodation requirements including the timing and duration of that accommodation need, and other school-specific factors.

In that regard, the department has broadened its delivery streams to utilise Modern Methods of Construction, including Project Management and Modular Accommodation frameworks. Modular accommodation supported by project managers has particular advantages in terms of overall timelines and also climate impact in that they do not generally have a reliance on fossil fuels. Given that such projects are generally devolved to the school authority, the provision of project management services from the Department’s framework helps ensure that the administrative burden for schools on procuring and delivering modular accommodation solutions is significantly eased.

My department will continue to consider the specific needs of each school in assessing its accommodation requirements and in determining the appropriate solution. The Deputy should note, however, that the focus 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.

While the cost of the department's modular framework provision is akin to traditional building procurement costs, the contract for the traditional project at the school referred to by the deputy is signed and the building currently under construction. It is therefore not considered effective use of resources to add to this traditional building contract at this late stage. Furthermore, modular accommodation has proven efficiencies in terms of delivery timescale. To further assist, my department has requested the current design team to master plan the two sites which this school occupies for a future provision of one 230 square metre unit (two special classes with associated quiet spaces) and soft play areas at each location. This will provide for a total of 4 SEN classes at the school.