Mr. John Irwin:

Senator Ruane raised the issue of additional accommodation. On occasion, applications for additional accommodation are not successful. I concur that the majority are and they are very much considered, but each one is looked at within its own context. In our experience, where they have not been successful has more often than not been in provincial towns where there may be more than one school and there could be space in another school within that provincial town. The schools, particularly community and comprehensive schools, will definitely see their remit to try to meet the needs of all the students within that particular area. They will seek to do it, but on occasion, especially in the provincial towns, one school may be oversubscribed and another not. We understand that situation.

In Dublin, some schools are just oversubscribed but there may be spaces in many other schools within the area. Some areas may have had a school built for 1,000 to meet the demographic in that area, but, a bit like the doughnut effect, it no longer has the population to sustain a school of 1,000.

The reverse also happens. We have cited one in the submission where the Department approached Celbridge community school, which would be on the periphery. Again this is a bit of the doughnut effect. The school was being built for 750 but was asked to go to 1,000. All projects face challenges. The challenge in that area related to the site issue. The school has been in temporary accommodation for four years. The trustees have engaged openly with the Department. It will be in temporary accommodation for at least this academic year and a further two as they continue to build.

Then there can be site complexities, but we would go back to the planning processes, and it is tied up in the local planning area. The trustees, the Department, the management and the school are engaging on the matter and we hope to see it progressed.