Mr. Hubert Loftus:

The Deputy asked quite a range of questions. We will answer them as best we can and I will bring in some colleagues as well.

Regarding PE halls and general purpose, GP, rooms, the Deputy quoted percentages and we outlined them in the appendix to our note. Delivery on PE halls is an ambition under the national development plan, NDP. There is quite a high percentage already there. Some 80% have a PE hall, 10% have access to a PE hall and a pipeline of projects will add to those percentages. There is then a residual piece we have to do. Managing that along with the other wider range of priorities we have will be an ambition as part of NDP, roll-out.

Regarding nurture spaces, we do not specifically have an overall handle on what is out there in the school system. However, we can take note of the issue the Deputy raised.

There are 314 school planning areas and, subject to there being no technical reasons we cannot do so, we will provide a clear and accurate link to them.

Just to be aware as well, as part of the whole modernisation of the planning building unit, we have done much work in geographic information systems, GIS. When we look at planning, what is needed where and when, how it is to be delivered and all of that, we use our GIS to get a more defined picture of the level of need and where it is needed so we are not just conscious purely of a particular school planning area and so on.

The Deputy mentioned the issue of the location of schools within school planning areas and referenced Ballyogan. I am not aware of the specifics of that but where we have needs in a school planning area, we first see whether we can manage those within the existing school infrastructure, such as adding capacity extensions to existing schools. We also look at whether there are large sites that may create campus opportunities and things such as that as well. Another part of the mix is when we have to buy a site and build a school. South Dublin is probably one of our more difficult areas. Many areas are quite difficult and challenging but it can be particularly so in south Dublin.

Invariably, when looking at a site, we are looking at what is available, what represents the earliest opportunity to deliver on a need and how best to manage that.

In terms of co-located facilities in a building for further education and post-primary provision, a few years back we were all the Department of Education, which included science and skills, so we had all of that within our mix. Now, it is separated out into two Departments and the two Departments are working together to see how best that is managed down at the individual school level. We are conscious, from a Department of Education perspective on the post-primary element, particularly where we have to expand that and add facilities such as special classes, that we look to how best the further education and training, FET, element can be addressed in that context. The direction of travel within the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is very much about creating centres of excellence in the whole area of further education and training rather than necessarily having it too dispersed across individual post-primary schools.

With regard to Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí, when we were last before the committee, we provided some information in that regard, and I can ask Ms Cusack to add to that. A good bit of that comes back to the level of demand in the areas. We support Irish-medium provision and we have a range of initiatives in place to do that. To take Gaelcholáistí as an example, whereas typically our new English-medium post-primary schools are 1,000 pupil, the threshold for satisfying a need for Irish-medium schools is 400, which is part of our proactive efforts to support provision.

I am also conscious that if we look across the primary sector and take Gaelscoileanna at primary level, quite a number of schools generally are undersubscribed, including Gaelscoileanna, so it is not necessarily the case that where there are Gaelscoileanna, they are automatically oversubscribed. Quite a percentage of them are undersubscribed.