Mr. Hubert Loftus:

I thank Deputy Ó Laoghaire. I will ask Ms Cusack to comment on school planning areas. As a general point when we look at provision requirements using the GIS we look at towns and areas that span more than one school planning area. With regard to early years services and childcare, there is a special education aspect to it with regard to ASD. I will ask Ms Mannion to comment on this. As a general point, our new Secretary General Ms Bernie McNally came from the Department with responsibility for children. She is very conscious of this as an issue. It is something we have discussed, along with the opportunities for greater alignment. There is already quite significant co-location in primary schools. There are several hundred early years services and creches in the school system. When we look at the direction of travel of demographics generally at primary level, they are projected to reduce by approximately 100,000 nationally over the course of the next decade. This can create additional opportunities for alignment and we can see where it goes.