Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The sector in question is the fastest growing category in the primary school area. In 1997, there were only 18 multi-denominational schools, while now the figure has more than doubled to 39. When one sees the census returns and the growing multiculturalism of our society, this demand will continue to grow. The first priority for the Department of Education and Science is to ensure a sufficient number of places exist to meet demand. While diversity is desirable, it can only come after ensuring sufficient places to meet demand.

As Deputy Enright pointed out, where new schools have developed, it has often been at the expense of an existing school. In some areas, those schools have amalgamated to free up a building to be made available to a Gaelscoil or an Educate Together school. However, this initiative must come from the patrons as the Department cannot tell schools to do so. There has been some good co-operation in various areas. It must be borne in mind, however, that the existing schools probably objected to the new schools opening in the first place on the basis that they would lose numbers, which is precisely what has happened. Obviously, there could be tensions on the ground.

We want to see the best use of school accommodation, particularly in city areas where sites are extraordinarily expensive. Some co-operation has been achieved in this sensitive area. Enormous strides have been made in supporting the new schools that have been built. The Department has worked in new development areas. Local authorities, such as Fingal County Council, have been proactive with the Department in securing sites and not leaving it to the new patron bodies of schools. For example, the Educate Together school in Griffeen Valley, west Dublin, was built in ten months.

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