Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to have an opportunity to raise with the Minister of State, Deputy Ciarán Cannon, the need to plan for the provision of more primary school places in the Greystones, Kilcoole and Delgany areas. The population of the town of Greystones has increased significantly in recent years. According to the CSO, the most recent census found that more than 10,000 people lived in the town. The local electoral area which encompasses Greystones, Delgany, Kilcoole and Newcastle now has a population closer to 25,000. The population of the area was approximately one fifth smaller when the previous census was taken in 2006. The locality has, therefore, seen a sizeable increase in population. Approximately 17% of the people of Greystones are aged 12 years or less, according to the census. That figure increases to approximately 20% in the case of the local electoral area. Clearly, this highlights the extent of the pressure being placed on parents and schools in the greater Greystones area.

It is regrettable that this problem has developed, given that it must have been known that a population bulge would result from the construction of a new housing area - Charlesland - just outside Greystones. Land in the Charlesland area was specifically zoned for a school. To this day, it baffles me that the school was not developed as a condition of the planning permission. It continues to be badly needed and the failure to develop it is putting huge pressure on the existing schools in the town. I have been inundated with calls and e-mails from concerned parents and teachers in the wider Greystones area who are very concerned about this difficulty. Their views were summed up by a parent who told me "the problem seems to be bigger than I can tackle and I am at a loss as to what to do." The parent in question is getting "little or no constructive advice to secure a place or a solution to this problem in Greystones." There are solutions within the existing school infrastructure and there are also longer term solutions.

I would like to ask the Minister of State two questions, the first of which relates to the short term and the second of which relates to the medium term. What are we going to do to make sure we can meet the demands of every local child of schoolgoing age in Greystones, Delgany and Kilcoole this coming September? What are we going to do in the medium and longer terms? The schools in Greystones, Kilcoole and Delgany cannot be run on a September to September basis. That would not be fair on principals, schools, boards of management or parents and their young children as they wait for school places. We have a number of options, some of which involve extensions, land acquisitions and new schools. I hope this evening we can begin the dialogue on how to address these problems.

See this speech in context