Seán Connick (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

I thank my constituency colleagues for their good wishes. It is unusual to have three Wexford men in the Dáil by themselves. I am interested in the response because I am very familiar with the issues involved.

As my colleagues will understand, I am replying on behalf my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Science, who, unfortunately, cannot be present. I thank the Deputies for raising the matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the Dáil the position with regard to Gorey Community School, although, due to industrial action on the part of some staff in the Department of Education and Science, I am not in a position to give full details.

Gorey Community School is a sole post-primary school provider for the Gorey catchment area. It has a current enrolment of 1,586 pupils, which includes 142 PLC, post-leaving certificate, students. The school has been extended twice in the recent past to cater for its increasing enrolments. Initially, €3 million was spent to increase capacity to 1,300 pupils. Subsequently, the school indicated that it needed an extra six classrooms to meet its long-term needs and funding of over €800,000 was provided to deliver these. The Department's medium-term plan is to provide a second post-primary school to meet the needs of the Gorey catchment area.

This new school is being delivered under the Department's expanded public private partnership programme. The project is one of eight schools which the then Minister for Education and Science approved for inclusion in the third bundle of schools to be procured via the public private partnership method of delivery. This bundle is in the pre-procurement stage. Detailed output specifications and the public sector benchmark are being finalised and outline planning permission has been received in the case of seven of the eight schools, including Gorey. Work is continuing on securing outline planning permission for the remaining school site. On successful completion of this process, it is the Tánaiste's intention that the bundle will be handed over to the National Development Finance Agency for procurement.

The indicative timeframe for the delivery of a public private partnership school building currently stands at approximately four years from the date the bundle is announced. When the new school is delivered, it is intended that Gorey Community School will operate with a reduced and more ideal enrolment below 1,300 pupils. Pending the delivery of the new school, it is intended that the needs of the Gorey catchment area will be met at Gorey Community School and the Department has been supportive in light of the demands being placed on the school for additional places by providing funding for the extensions already mentioned.

It has been brought to the Department's attention recently, however, that there may be a capacity issue at the school for the 2010-11 school year. A preliminary examination of the school's enrolments indicates that the current enrolment is 23 less than the previous year. This situation should help to relieve some pressure. For the last number of years, the school also applied to enrol pupils from outside its catchment area. As an exceptional measure the Department of Education and Science agreed to this on the understanding that the school had sufficient accommodation to facilitate these pupils. It will be of concern to the Department if this development now means that pupils from the catchment area cannot obtain places in the school for the new school year.

Notwithstanding this, it is open to the school authority to apply to the Department for further accommodation if this is needed. The Department has no record of any such application to date. It would look on an application of this nature as favourably as possible. The Department will be in contact with the school to establish the position and to work with the school authority to ensure that all pupils seeking places for next September can have them. I again thank the Deputies for raising this matter and assure them that the Department of Education and Science will work with Gorey Community School to assist it with any accommodation issues it might have.

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