John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

I join in the good wishes to Deputy Connick on his elevation to Minister of State and wish him well in that position.

Gorey community school has more than 1,600 students enrolled and as such is the biggest second-level school in the country. Again this year, however, we find it is not able to cater, in particular, for the first-year students who want to attend from September 2010. Somewhere in the region of 45 to 50 students have no space or school to attend.

This situation has been ongoing in Gorey for a number of years. For the last three or four years we have had difficulties with different Ministers, trying to secure space for such students. Gorey, as Deputy D'Arcy can tell the House, and the Minister of State will know, has doubled in population over the last ten to 12 years during the Celtic tiger era. Many people from the Acting Chairman's constituency came to live in Gorey and the numbers have escalated out of all proportion as regards school attendance.

Two new primary schools were built in the last few years and we have been promised another second-level school under public private partnership. The site for this has been acquired, planning permission has been granted and we awaiting the go-ahead from the Minister. The outgoing Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, promised that an announcement would take place early this year and, hopefully, the new Minister, Deputy Mary Coughlan will make the announcement shortly.

In the short-term, however, there is a problem at Gorey community school. Parents are their wits' end and I ask the Minister to take a serious look at providing extra space, whether on the grounds of Gorey community school or on a site at its entrance where some space is available for rent at present. A solution must be found very quickly and it is important the Minister takes on board the issues we are raising tonight to allay the fears of parents and students coming from the different primary schools in the area.

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