208. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth when a decision will be made regarding a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66221/26]

The project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved for delivery to the Laois Offaly Education Training Board (LOETB).

The project is currently at Stage 2a of the architectural design process. In Quarter 2 2025, a Stage 2a report was submitted to the Department and is undergoing an intensive review from both a technical and cost perspective in accordance with the requirements of the Public Infrastructure Guidelines.

LOETB have proposed an option to acquire an alternative site for this project. This proposal has been reviewed by the Department and following further engagement, LOETB are now finalising cost comparisons on the two sites. The Department has also recommended that the LOETB explore with the Design Team whether there are potential cost-saving solutions on the proposed new school building/greenfield site that could improve the Value for Money assessment of this option and the Department currently awaits a response from LOETB in this respect.

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 1,500 school building projects along with circa 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. Circa 80% of new special classes in 2025/26 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, stakeholder consultation has been ongoing since June 2026

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.