Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Coughlan. I thank Deputy Stanton for raising the matter as it affords me the opportunity to outline the process being utilised to ensure that there will be adequate accommodation in schools at primary and post-primary level in all parts of the country.

The forward planning section of the Department utilises the latest in geographical information system, GIS, technology to assist in planning school requirements into the future. The GIS contains information on all schools - both primary and post-primary - which is geocoded to their locations. This information is then linked to the relevant demographic information relating to those locations. Typically, such demographic information will be obtained from the Central Statistics Office's census data, the General Registrar of Births, the Department of Social and Family Affairs, An Post's geodirectory and information supplied by local authorities through development plans.

Growth projection figures are applied to existing population statistics with a view to assessing future requirements and identifying the areas experiencing highest growth at primary and post-primary level. In addition, and as a matter of course, there is ongoing liaison between the Department and local authorities to establish the location, scale and pace of any major developments and their possible implications for school provision.

The forward planning section is in the process of carrying out detailed analysis of over 40 identified locations of highest population growth in order to identify the school accommodation requirements up to and including the 2014-2015 school year. In light of the increase in the birth rate in recent years, the initial focus of this analysis is on primary school accommodation requirements. A more detailed analysis of post-primary accommodation requirements will follow.

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