Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)

I apologise on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Hanafin, who was not in a position to be here to take this matter.

I thank the Deputy for raising it as it affords the opportunity to outline to the House the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and to outline the position regarding second level places in Midleton.

Modernising facilities in our 3,200 primary and 750 post-primary schools is not an easy task given the legacy of decades of under-investment in this area as well as the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth. Nonetheless, since taking office, the Government has shown a focused determination to improve the condition of our school buildings and to ensure that the appropriate facilities are in place to enable the implementation of a broad and balanced curriculum.

As evidence of this commitment, more than €540 million will be spent on school building and modernisation projects in the coming year on primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. Since 1997, a total of €3 billion has been invested in school buildings and this has delivered more than 7,800 school building projects. This further investment of more than €540 million will build on these achievements and will focus in particular on the provision of school accommodation in areas where the population is growing at a rapid rate. As further evidence of our commitment, the national development plan funding of €4.5 billion will be invested in schools over the coming years. I am sure the Deputy will agree that this record level of investment is a positive testament to the high priority the Government attaches to ensuring that school accommodation is of the highest standard possible.

Turning to the specific issue of the second level school places for Midleton, the Department of Education and Science has a number of proactive strategies to ensure that the accommodation requirements for schools in developing areas such as east Cork are addressed in a manner that will meet the long-term education needs of the population. The process of assessing the need for new or additional accommodation facilities at second level in any given area entails consideration of all relevant factors, including enrolment and demographic trends, housing developments and existing school capacity to meet current or future demand. As part of the process, the Department of Education and Science is included among the prescribed authorities to whom local authorities are statutorily obliged to send draft development plans or variations to development plans. As a matter of course meetings are arranged with local authorities to establish the location, scale and pace of housing developments and their implication for both current and future school provision. In this regard, officials in the school planning section of the Department plan to meet senior officials from Cork County Council and Cork County VEC to discuss potential and anticipated developments in the general area with a view to making informed decisions in regard to the long-term accommodation needs of the second level schools in the area and in particular to those schools that have made application for major capital investment in their buildings.

I thank the Deputy once again for raising the matter and allowing me to outline the position regarding the provision of second level places in Midleton.

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