School Accommodation
Dail Éireann — 2025-10-14
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Marian Harkin (IND), Sligo-Leitrim

The Department of Education and Youth remains firmly committed to providing continued support and resourcing for south Dublin and across the school system nationwide. The Deputy mentioned a specific case in Ringsend. I do not know the details but, if he wants to send them to me, I will make sure they are passed on to the Minister and the Department.
I agree that education is a silver bullet. Insofar as we can manage it, schools should be palaces. It is a strong statement but I understand what the Deputy is saying and where he is coming from. I hope budget 2026 and long-term funding under the NDP from 2026 to 2030 will allow the Department to continue to meet school place needs, with a particular focus on supporting children with special educational needs, while also ensuring that schools have the facilities, staff and resources they require. The Department will continue to prioritise the effective use of the existing school estate, special needs provision and the delivery of additional accommodation, where required.
The Government is committed to increasing funding for schools of all types across the country - I assure the Deputy that this includes those in south Dublin - to help them meet rising day-to-day costs. Over recent budgets, we have made strong progress with more than €30 million secured in budget 2025 and another €39 million in budget 2026. This brings capitation rates up to €274 per primary pupil and €406 per post-primary student for the 2026-27 educational year.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-10-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:04+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-10-14