290. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on new build and refurbishment works for a school (details supplied); if her Department's review is complete; and if this project will be prioritised given works have been delayed for over a decade and are desperately needed. [66807/26]

The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is a large scale capital project for the construction of a new extension and the refurbishment of existing facilities to accommodate 1,000 pupils, including provision for Special Educational Needs (SEN) classrooms.

More than four years has elapsed since the publication of the contract notice and more than two years since the tender submission deadline. Given the passage of time since tenders were returned and the unacceptably high risk that the contract may not successfully be delivered within budget, the ETB were instructed to collapse the tender procedure in July 2025.

Phase 1 of the project is currently being delivered under my department's Modular Framework to deliver 9 general classrooms and 2 specialist classrooms. This also includes the repurposing of part of the existing accommodation to include classrooms for children with Special Educational Needs in the interim.

The Deputy will be aware that 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.

It is in this context that any future project for the school in question will be considered, and I can assure the deputy that department officials have been in contact with the patron in relation to this matter.