Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

In respect of Deputy McGrath's last point, I received his correspondence and am acting on it. There are a number of other inquiries about St. Michael's in general about which the Deputy may be aware and which need to be taken into account. In respect of the young boy mentioned by the Deputy, I will let the Deputy know the outcome as soon as I hear about it.

No decisions have yet been made on the Department of Education and Skills or any other Department by the Government. The student population is to increase by 10% for the foreseeable future. That means trained staff will be required to teach them. Population growth, at 7.6% for the first quarter of this year, is the highest since 1960. This means the Minister for Education and Skills must plan for the provision of school buildings for a clearly increasing number of students.

In the area Deputy Finian McGrath represents, a large number of apartments and housing estates were built but no schools were provided for the residents, with the result that enormous pressure has been put on the communities. The Minister for Education and Skills is now focusing on the projections and will have to provide both buildings and staff for the pupils. There is no decision made in respect of any of the other matters the Deputy raised.

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