Schools Building Projects
Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-20
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Hildegarde Naughton (FG), Galway West

I thank the Senator for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to come to the Seanad today. The purpose of the emergency works scheme, as the Senator knows, is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies, or to facilitate inclusion and access for pupils with special needs. It does so by ensuring the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation.
An emergency is deemed to be a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or the environment, which is sudden, unforeseen and requires immediate action and, in the case of a school, if not corrected would prevent the school or part thereof from opening.
The emergency works scheme, EWS, operates on the basis of a minimal scope works to address the emergency situation. The scheme is intended to remedy the emergency situation and usually is provided only as an interim measure until a permanent solution can be delivered under the summer works scheme, which deals with upgrade works to the school. The emergency works scheme operates on a devolved basis. Schools manage the application process and the works directly through the Esinet portal, with minimal departmental intervention after approval.
In the case of the school in question, it is noted that a site visit was carried out by a member of the Department's technical unit late last year to assist the school with guidance on how to address some of the accommodation issues the school faces. The emergency works scheme team subsequently contacted the school patron with advice on the next steps on how to apply for the emergency works scheme funding to remediate the emergency issues. This subsequent contact with the school patron included the EWS team providing advice on sequencing the works in a manner that ensures the affected classrooms can be brought back into use as a matter of urgency.
I understand that the school in question has currently no outstanding EWS application for the issue in question but the officials in the emergency works team have engaged with the school authority and advised it on the next steps required in order to submit the emergency works scheme application. The EWS team remains open to assisting the school should it need further advice on how to submit an application. Once an application has been received, the EWS team will assess the application and engage with the school to advise it on the next steps - the team is aware of the urgent nature of the works - once it has been received. The Senator clearly outlined the urgency in relation to this. The officials in the team will deal with that application accordingly.
As the Senator alluded to, the school in question also has a live building project for a new school which is currently at architectural planning stage 3.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-20/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:31+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-20