Ms ?ine Cusack:

The child benefit data we use is the closest thing we can get to real-time data on where children are at any given point. It is supplemented by data from the census, as Mr. Loftus referenced, and by consultation with the housing task force and local authorities, which allow us to get an understanding of child yield. When residential development happens, we try to determine what number of children we can expect to be associated with it, which depends on the type of unit involved, and the lead-in time from when those residential units are delivered until there will be children of school age requiring places. There are a lot of different strands of data coming in. The projections are updated every year because they are reliant on annual enrolments but it also considers the most recent child benefit data which, as I have said, provides the closest thing to real-time data on where children are that you can get. We also have real-time data with regard to residential developments that are planned or under construction, which is fed into us via our geographical information system. Through planning applications, commencement notices and information on projects that are progressing on site, we have a real-life feed regarding residential development through which we can monitor and track the completion of developments. We then use other data from different sources such as the census, the housing task force and local authorities to understand the implications of that information for child yield and school place requirements.