Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister to the House. I hope he uses his high office to extend this communiqué to his colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, to whom I have spoken off the record on this matter.

This is not a new issue. The secretary general of the INTO, John Carr, who is also a native of Donegal, recently wrote an article on the challenges we are facing with regard to student capacity within the primary school sector in the greater Letterkenny area. Letterkenny is establishing itself as a gateway town under the gateway status initiative in conjunction with Derry. If we are to consider our spatial strategy in any comprehensive and methodical way we should critically examine what has happened in Letterkenny in terms of demographics and population growth in recent years.

While I acknowledge the fact that many schools in Letterkenny, such as Ballyraine national school, benefited from recent infrastructural investment, other schools are still in need of significant investment and extension. In particular, I mention two schools, St. Colmcille's boys' school and Lurgybrack national school. These schools are coming under increasing pressures and I could list the reasons for this all night. They include inward migration from other parts of Donegal where people had difficulty obtaining planning permission and were restricted from building in their own rural areas.

We are looking at an ever-expanding younger generation. At St. Colmcille's boys' school, 63 students have come forward for enrolment this year. The school faces another year in the unfortunate position of having to turn away students. It has a history of appeals and a tradition of facilitating as many people as possible. However, the capacity is not there.

Letterkenny was the fastest growing town in Europe until recent years. The greater Letterkenny area has a population of approximately 20,000 and we need infrastructure. This highlights another part of the challenge we face as a country. We do not necessarily have an east coast urban problem. Various parts of the island have the same population pressures as the east coast. I refer to a research proposal at DIT which suggested that in 20, 40 or 50 years' time the balance will be between an urban east coast and a rural west coast. I can tell the Minister this is not the case. Donegal, and Letterkenny in particular, is situated 20 miles from Derry, the fourth largest city in Ireland. Derry city has an urban sprawl and Letterkenny caters for students originally from Derry. Within the greater Letterkenny area we also have integration and a social mix for which we must cater.

Will the Minister speak to his colleague? I know in his reply he will speak about projection appraisals and evaluations of population density. The schools have provided their own analysis and produced their own projections. They are there in black and white. These schools are not in a position to cope with added pressures. They do not want to turn away students and they want to carry on in the manner they have for generations.

The Minister is in the Cabinet. Today, it was stated that capital projects will not be affected by any measures being introduced. This commitment must be extended to the Department of Education and Science. I hear there is little money for capital projects. In the economic circumstances we face we must use imagination and creativity to cater for students being turned away from schools against the wishes of principals and boards of management.

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