Thomas Gould
Question:290. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education the number of applications received from schools in Cork under the major capital works scheme; and the number granted to date in 2023. [34081/23]
View answerTuesday, 11 July 2023
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Through Project Ireland 2040, we are investing €4.4 billion over the period 2021 to 2025 to add capacity and develop and upgrade school facilities across the country for the almost one million students and over 100,000 staff that learn and work in our schools every day.
My Department has a proven track record of delivery. During the period 2018 to 2022, just under 900 school building projects were completed. This includes nearly 100 building projects across County Cork and a total investment of over €433 million in schools in the county.
The key drivers of capital investment in the schools sector are:
•demographic change, including keeping pace with delivery of necessary special educational needs accommodation and accommodation for Ukrainian pupils, particularly at post primary level;
•alignment with housing provision and national planning at school planning area level; and
•climate action objectives including the need to progressively decarbonise the school estate.
My Department completed over 180 projects last year, including 20 in County Cork, within a challenging construction sector environment of high inflation, labour shortages and supply chain issues.
This year alone, in excess of 300 school building projects are currently under construction, including 40 new school buildings and 260 projects at existing schools across the country. 25 school building projects are under construction in Co. Cork.
There are a further 1,000 school building projects in the pipeline at various stages of planning, design and tender, of which 165 are projects in Co. Cork.
Where accelerated delivery of accommodation is required, the Department utilises its Modular Accommodation Framework to provide critical mainstream school places and places for students with special educational needs. There are currently 33 projects underway in Co. Cork.
In order to plan for school provision, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas. A Geographical Information System is used to analyse data from a range of sources, including CSO Census data, Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.
Requirements for additional school places, including in County Cork, are kept under on-going review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity.
My Department will continue to work with patrons and school authorities to support the operation of the school system in Cork and around the country, adding necessary capacity to cater for special educational needs provision, mainstream classroom requirements and accommodation for students from Ukraine and other countries under the International Protection system.
Details of the current status of building projects delivered under the school building programme may be viewed on my Department's website at, www.gov.ie and this information is updated regularly. In addition, a list of large-scale projects completed from 2010 to date may also be viewed on the website.