553. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the stage 2A review of a school accommodation project (details supplied); whether she will include the project for priority consideration in the next tranche of the schools building programme; to provide a clear and realistic timeline to tender and construction; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64981/26]

I refer to the query raised by the Deputy regarding the Stage 2a report for Sallynoggin/Killiney ETNS.

Stage 2(a) – Developed Design - is a crucial element of the architectural planning process as it is at this stage that the design is developed to a stage where it can be fully cost planned and prepared to lodge for statutory approvals.

The report is currently under review and upon completion of that due diligence review, Department officials will advise all stakeholders of the next steps for the project.

Since 2020, my Department has invested over €7 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving the completion of over 1,600 school building projects along with over 4,300 small-scale improvement works to meet priority maintenance needs and advance energy efficiency and climate goal. In addition, repurposing and optimisation of existing accommodation capacity across the school estate has been a key enabler of timely, local provision of special class capacity in a way that supports best practice in inclusion and integration. In the region of 85% of new special classes in 2026/27 are being facilitated in repurposed classroom accommodation. This investment has delivered real benefits for school communities.

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 NDP Implementation Plan for the education and youth sector, a first tranche of projects to progress to tender and/or construction during 2026 and 2027 was published in January 2026. Prioritisation will continue to identify further tranches of projects to proceed to tender and construction over the NDP period, with stakeholder consultation ongoing.

Our NDP Implementation Plan will optimise outputs from the NDP allocations, with a strong focus on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is insufficient, and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money, and meets functional needs.

Since 2020, the Department of Education has provided over €2 billion in capital funding for Dublin schools.

Over this period, a total of 300 schools have been upgraded through provision of either a new school building, extension, modular accommodation or climate pathfinder projects.

20 school projects to go to tender or construction in 2026 and 2027 were included in the NDP Implementation Plan.

There are currently 47 large-scale, extension, modular or climate pathfinder projects in Dublin under construction.

There are also 53 projects underway through the Climate Action Summer Works Scheme.

In addition, since 2020 a total of 541 special classes have been sanctioned in Dublin, of which 140 were sanctioned for September 2026.