Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is more than aware of the very significant demographic challenge arising, which my Department has to meet with limited resources. Overall national enrolment figures are expected to grow by 70,000 between 2012 and 2018, with an increase of more than 25,000 students at post-primary level and 45,000 at primary level. Post-primary enrolment is expected to continue to rise until at least 2024. In order to meet the needs of that growing population of school-going children, the Department has to establish new schools as well as extending or replacing a number of existing schools where demographic growth has been identified. Delivery of these new schools, together with extension projects to meet future demand, must be the main focus of the Department's capital budget for the coming years.

The five-year programme announced in March 2012 will provide more than 100,000 permanent school places, of which more than 80,000 will be new school places. The remainder will involve the replacement of temporary or unsatisfactory accommodation. Due to competing demands on my Department's capital budget imposed by the need to prioritise the limited funding available for the provision of additional school accommodation to meet increasing demographic requirements, it was not possible to include Castleknock community college in the five-year programme announced in March 2012. School building projects, including the project for Castleknock, which have not been scheduled for construction in that five-year programme but which had previously been announced for initial inclusion in the building programme will continue to be progressed to final planning stages in anticipation of the possibility of further funds being available to my Department in future years. The project for Castleknock community college remains available to be considered for progression in that context.

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