Schools Building Projects
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-11
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Timmy Dooley (FF), Clare

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for his continued interest in this matter. It is an issue in which I know he has a personal interest and one on which he has advocated considerably in this House and elsewhere. I thank him for that continued work.
As the Deputy knows, the current position in relation to this major development project in Coláiste an Phiarsaigh, County Cork, is the responsibility of the Minister for Education and Youth. She has asked me to outline the current position. The project referred to has been devolved to the joint managerial body for delivery. The project brief for Coláiste an Phiarsaigh provides for a long-term projected enrolment of 750 pupils, including four classrooms for students with special educational needs. That is an important function and part of the overall project, because the Government has a considerable focus on providing appropriate locations for children with special educational needs.
The project is currently at stage 2b of the architectural design process, as the Deputy said. This allows for detailed design and planning, obtaining the necessary statutory permissions and the preparation of tender documents. Planning permission was granted in November 2025. The Department awaits submission of a stage 2b report. Once received, it will undergo a detailed technical and cost review in line with the Government's infrastructure guidelines. It is clear that the joint managerial body needs to get that stage 2b report to the Department to allow for the next stages along the way.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Department recently published the €7.55 billion NDP sectoral investment plan for the education and youth sectors for the period 2026 to 2030. The NDP sectoral investment plan involves a strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. In this regard, there will be a strong special education dimension to project roll-out. That is one of the important facets of the project, so that when it gets through the stage it is at, it will have significant prioritisation in the mix of other schools. Of the total €7.55 billion investment, it is envisaged that circa €5 billion will be used for project roll-out to support the delivery and modernisation of school buildings. This will build on the progress made over recent years with the continued roll-out of projects on a prioritised basis to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities. In this regard, a list of the 105 school building projects in the first tranche to proceed to construction or tender over 2026 and 2027 was published and this included 12 schools in Cork.
The progression of other projects through the pipeline will form part of overall programme management and prioritisation. The timing of a pipeline project moving from one stage to the next requires careful planning and is determined by a number of factors, such as confirmation that any existing or emerging school capacity in the area is being, or will be, optimised; confirmation of compliance with all technical and cost requirements relevant to that project stage; outcome of prioritisation assessment; and timing of affordability within annual NDP funding parameters, taking account of overall programme requirements.
In moving projects forward, the Department maintains a strong focus on delivering value for money and affordability, and includes phasing arrangements, where necessary, to ensure that spending remains sustainable. Functionality, long-term suitability and the specific needs of schools, including special education requirements, are also considered at each stage. This approach ensures that projects not only progress in a timely manner but also deliver maximum value for money and target priorities of the school estate. This prioritisation process will be informed by engagement with school patrons and management bodies, which is currently under way. The project at Coláiste an Phiarsaigh will form part of this overall process.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:05+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-11