Mr. Hubert Loftus:

I thank the Deputy. He paints a picture there which is quite graphic. We do a huge amount of engagement with local authorities on county development plans and local area plans in terms of the school provision requirements. We are a statutory consultee on that and we interact and engage to a great degree. We find our GIS is very helpful in terms of facilitating and enabling that engagement.

On the specific issues of car parking, halls and things like that, much of that relates more to existing school sites than to new school sites, and working that through. We find much of the requirements for car parking and drop-off areas flow from planning conditions that might relate to the delivery of projects in terms of what is appropriate and what is possible. One also has to be conscious of the longer term direction of travel generally about the climate agenda and how car parking and all of that gets managed in that space as well.

There was earlier discussion around halls and we are conscious of the need.

It is an important part of Government commitments and Project Ireland 2040. It is something that will be reflected, as best as possible, in the context of the wider roll-out of the national development plan modernisation agenda generally. Retrofitting in the context of climate will be part of that.