Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Eoghan Murphy for raising this matter, particularly as it gives me the opportunity to remind the House of the significant challenges we face in the context of meeting increasing demand for pupil places throughout the country in the coming years and of how these are to be addressed.

Primary enrolments, which have already risen substantially in recent years, are projected to rise by more than 37,000 pupils by 2015. They are set to continue to rise with a likely peak at approximately 596,000 pupils to be catered for in 2019. This compares with 526,000 pupils enrolled in primary schools in the last academic year.

The Deputy rightly points out that the Dublin South-East area is among those areas where this increase is creating pressure for extra school places and this is being felt strongly in the short term. The Department has highlighted the Dublin South-East area as one that will need extra school places from 2014 onwards.

The Deputy will be aware that my Department uses a geographical information system to identify where the pressure for school places will arise. The GIS uses data from the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Department of Social Protection in addition to the Department's databases. The Department also uses data from local authorities.

With this information the Department carried out a study of the country to identify where there will be a requirement for significant additional school provision at primary and post-primary levels over the coming years. The Dublin South-East area surfaced as one needing extra school places under the process. In June 2011, I announced the need for the establishment of 20 new primary schools with approximately 500 pupils per school to cater for increased demographics in several locations up to and including 2017. This included the establishment of a new school for the Dublin South-East area. The school, known as the Shellybanks Educate Together national school, which will open this coming September, will be located initially in start-up accommodation in Ballsbridge. It will cater for demand for pupil places from the Sandymount, Ringsend and Irishtown areas. It is planned that the new school will provide an additional 16 mainstream classrooms for the area when it is fully developed, or more if extra capacity is needed. The Department is working on acquiring permanent accommodation for the school but this alone is not enough and additional capacity is being provided in other schools in the area as well.

A building project to facilitate the amalgamation and expansion of two schools is facilitated under the five year construction programme I announced in March 2012. The project is at an advanced stage of architectural planning and it will provide further classrooms for the Dublin South-East area when completed. The Department is also working closely with some of the other schools in the area to address enrolment issues in the shorter term, starting next September. These schools include Canon O'Hanlon memorial school, otherwise known as Star of the Sea school in Sandymount, St. Brigid's primary school on Haddington Road, and Scoil Mhuire Lakelands on Gilford Road. I record my thanks to the schools for their help and support in this matter. In tandem, the Department is examining the most up-to-date demographic data available for the area to determine further needs and ensure these are met in a timely manner. The Department and I will continue to monitor the situation to ensure every pupil seeking a place in the area can have access to one.

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