Specifically, Scoil Chonaill in Bun Beag, which has been referred to, received approval for a building project under the Department's additional school accommodation scheme in June 2020. The project will provide for a two-classroom special education needs, SEN, base for the school. The project has progressed through the stages of architectural planning and is currently at stage 3, which is the tender stage. The school authority submitted the tender report to the Department on 8 February 2023. We remain committed to…

I want to confirm the Department of Education has a very ambitious programme of delivery for our schools. Right throughout Covid, our school buildings continued to be built. Last year, a significant number of buildings - 180 new buildings - were provided for. This year, there are 300 projects on hand to be completed by the end of 2023 or early 2024. We have to concede that the Department, like wider society, has been affected by the war in Ukraine, which has impacted the cost of materials. Within the Department of …

I reiterate that the Department is 100% committed to these projects moving ahead and they are all at various stages.

I have the floor. I am fully committed to these projects going ahead. They are part of a hugely ambitious programme that we have delivered on in the past, including right through Covid, and we are determined to deliver on it this year. We need additional funding to do that and we are in discussion and communication with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, and the Minister on it. I want to acknowledge that they also have demands across a variety of other issues and De…

The schools are aware themselves, as is appropriate.

The project referred to by the Deputy is at tender stage. The project brief is for the construction of a 600-pupil, two-storey, post-primary school building, including general classrooms, specialist classrooms, assembly hall and all ancillary accommodation. The stage 2b submission for this project was approved in September 2021. Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board and its design team were authorised to proceed to tender upon completion of the pre-qualification process in October 2022. With the ori…

I do not for one minute underestimate the enthusiasm of the school or the good work it does every day with its students and the wider school community. Confirmation of that and of the excellence of the delivery there every day are represented by the determination of the Department to deliver on this project. I have no issue, at an appropriate time, with taking the opportunity to visit the school. As I said, a new planning application has been submitted on the school. I want to be fair also when it comes to the cons…

I confirm once again that the projects that have been paused will go ahead. We are in constructive engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. The delays are a consequence of our ambitious programme. More than 300 projects are to be completed this year or in early 2024, in addition to the 180 projects completed last year. Our Department, similar to other Departments, has been challenged by many of the issues that have impacted on wider society including the c…

Tabharfaidh mé an freagra seo idir Bhéarla agus Ghaeilge. Ba mhaith liom ar dtús mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an Teachta Ó Snodaigh as ucht aird a tharraingt ar an éileamh atá ar an oideachas lán-Ghaeilge faoi láthair. Mar Aire Oideachais, teastaíonn uaim a chinntiú go ndéanfar soláthar cuí do dhaoine óga ar mian leo oideachas lán-Ghaeilge dara leibhéal a bheith acu. Mar chuid den Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge 2010-30, tá mo Roinn tiomanta do dheiseanna a chruthú chun an t-oideachas lán-Ghaeilge a leathnú lasmui…

Tá a fhios agam an obair atá ar siúl san áit seo ó thaobh an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn agus a chaomhnú. Ní hamháin sin ach bhuail mé leis na tuistí ón bhfeachtas seo freisin. Mar a dúirt mé, ag an bpointe seo táimid ag obair ar pholasaí nua chun Gaelscoileanna, Gaelcholáistí agus mar sin de a chur chun cinn agus ní hamháin sin ach iad a neartú. Táim sásta go gcoimeádfaimid an cheist seo ó thaobh an Ghaelcholáiste faoi athbhreithniú. Tuigim an scéal agus an méid oibre atá ar siúl ar fud na háite ó thaobh na Gaeilge …

Faoi mar a dúirt mé, tuigim go bhfuil an feachtas don Ghaelcholáiste san áit seo faoi lánseol. Faoi mar a dúirt mé freisin, bhuail mé leis na tuistí maidir leis an gceist seo agus bhíos sásta é sin a dhéanamh. Mar a dúirt mé freisin, tá gá ag an Roinn polasaí nua a chur chun cinn. Táimid ag obair ag an bpointe seo ar an bpolasaí sin. Tá gach duine ag obair le chéile chun an polasaí sin a chur chun cinn. Is polasaí é ó thaobh na Gaeilge lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht de agus go háirithe ó thaobh na Gaelscoileanna agus na G…

Tá sé faoi lánseol agus tá súil agam go mbeidh sé críochnaithe chomh luath agus is féidir. Tá sé mar phríomhaidhm agam é sin a dhéanamh.

I thank the Deputy for raising the matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline the current position on the provision of solar panels to schools. I acknowledge Deputy Matthews's personal investment in this and his support for this initiative. It is a priority for the Government to deliver on Ireland's ambitious climate agenda and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This includes targets around the decarbonisation of Ireland's public buildings. My Department is leading an ambitious sustainability agenda …

I again thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to clarify the position in respect of photovoltaics, PV, provision and to overview some of the ambitious sustainability agenda being progressed to improve the overall sustainability of our school buildings. I sincerely acknowledge the Deputy's personal engagement with me on this issue. I acknowledge it is very close to his heart and I acknowledge the commitment from both my Department and the Department of the Minister, Deputy Ryan, to advance this. There has b…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. It gives me the opportunity to set out to the House the position with regard to primary school places in the Donaghmede-Howth-Dublin 13 school planning area for September 2023 and onwards. As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses, as the Deputy referenced, a geographical information system to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, includin…

I again thank the Deputy for giving me an opportunity to outline the position regarding primary school demand in the Donaghmede-Howth-Dublin 13 area. As I outlined, the Department is already providing significant additional primary capacity in the area, on foot of forecasts of school place needs. This includes two recently established new primary schools. While the Department is aware of enrolment pressures in the Donaghmede-Howth-Dublin 13 area for the 2023-24 school year, it is important to note there can be mult…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. It gives me the opportunity to provide an update on the current position regarding a number of school building projects that are on hold from proceeding to either tender or construction due to capital funding pressures. The Department's capital allocation has always been under significant pressure. The Department has a strong track record of fully utilising that allocation. In many years, it has required supplementary capital funding in order to deliver urgently required …

I am very cognisant of the frustration that exists. Any project being paused is one too many, but we have considerable issues regarding the availability of capital. The Deputy referred very genuinely to the fact that she was a student herself in one of the schools when the new building was first mooted, but I cannot stand over what has happened in the intervening period between when she was a student and is now a Deputy. I do not know what happened in those intervening years. I can comment only on what has happened…

I thank the House for the opportunity to discuss the very positive response on the part of the education system and school communities to those seeking refuge in Ireland. The very best and most insightful aspect of my job as Minister for Education is the opportunity I am afforded to visit schools across the country. In nearly every school I visit there are students who have recently arrived to Ireland either from Ukraine or through the IPAS system. These are children and young people who are compelled to leave thei…

I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the Seanad on the issues of teacher supply and places in post-primary schools. Both topics are equally and extremely important. The delivery of high-quality teaching and learning is a key priority for the Department of Education and for all who work in the education sector. Equally important is that children and their families can expect to have access to a school place. This takes significant work and co-operation on the part of many people in the education system, i…