Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

Up to 15,000 more children are attending school than was the case at this time last year. A great deal of work was done to accommodate each of these additional children and only 50 children were left without a place. While phenomenal progress was made in ensuring places were made available, it can be difficult to achieve complete accuracy in this regard owing to the movement of people into and within the country. It was a major achievement to have been within 50 places of the required number.

The provision of places for junior infants in schools in Balbriggan has doubled since 2002. While it is not desirable that a school would only have children from an ethnic background, the position is reflective of the area and the new communities which have been established in Balbriggan. A similar situation arose in areas to which Irish people emigrated because people gravitate to areas where members of their own communities live. Anyone living in Balbriggan would agree that, based on the people moving into the town's estates, the school in question, which is more mixed than we initially thought, is a reflection of the new town. The provision of school places and ensuring integration continue to be the Department's priorities.

See this speech in context