Mr. Paul Hogan:

I thank the Chairman for the opportunity to contribute to the committee's work today. I will take the submission we made as read. I do not have an opening statement but I will make some observations on what has been said so far to try to inform our involvement.

Our Minister is precluded by statute from becoming involved or intervening in individual planning cases or applications. Therefore, we cannot say too much about those.

The overall national strategy is made up of the national planning framework and the national development plan. Project Ireland 2040 emphasises the prioritisation of compact growth in our towns and cities. This means trying to develop as much as possible within the existing physical footprint to make the best use of existing facilities. The idea is to counteract the doughnut that has been referred to, whereby we are constantly building outwards at cost not only in terms of provision of facilities but in terms of commuting, people's time etc.

We need also to accommodate demand as it arises. Everyone has acknowledged and referred to figures we face. We will have an extra 1 million people or thereabouts in the country in the next 20 years. This will give rise to further demand for education, especially in the 2020s, as has been said. In meeting that demand, good planning involves providing for schools in tandem with development. Before I joined the Department I worked for local authorities for almost 20 years. This approach was something that was improving and developing all the time in local authorities in my experience. Good forward planning involves consultation to ensure adequate future schools provision in association with the community and the Department of Education and Skills. I would be surprised to hear of someone involved in a school in a developing area not knowing about something like 700 planned houses, as has been mentioned. We need good planning and that is reiterated in planning guidance and the national planning framework.

It is important to point out that the zoning of land is a reserved function of local authorities, by which I mean that it is entirely the responsibility of local elected members to zone land. Once land is zoned, it is the duty of the local authority executive to implement the plan to give effect to that zoning. It is not the responsibility of my Department or of the Department of Education and Skills. It is determined at a local level in consultation with the community as part of the development plan process.

The provision of numbers and places for schoolchildren is complex, but school provision is also complex because it has profound impacts on society and on places. It also has an impact on community development as well as on the health of children, how they get to school and what they do when they are there. It also has an impact on transport. We have often heard about schools being accused of creating and contributing to congestion. There is considerable discussion around that, although I know that is not really a matter for today. The point I am making is that it is a complex issue. We have urban and rural environments, big schools and small schools. It is not really possible to simplify and generalise into a one-size-fits-all approach. I urge caution about guidance and generalities because every case is different. That is one of the key things about planning. All sites and all cases are different. Much depends on the demographics of the area, what is adjoining it, what is around it and what influences it. Sometimes, at a high level policy role, we can offer guidance and good practice, but ultimately it has to come down to what happens on the ground.