Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I can confirm that I will certainly be working on it. I am happy to work with the Deputy and all our colleagues on this important issue. I want to recognise the great work that is being done at the college, which is demonstrated by the progression rate of the students who go through the post-leaving certificate courses and into further and higher education or into jobs. I understand that the success rate is over 92%, which is very positive. We recognise the high level of demand on numbers. A national review of post-leaving certificate places is being carried out this year. I hope it will allay some of the concerns about the distribution of post-leaving certificate numbers around the country. I think the demand for places in County Meath is certainly higher than supply is at present. The capital end of it is close to my heart. I will certainly be watching for an opportunity. I assure the Deputy that the line Minister, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, and I will be banging the table to try to get more money into education and into capital expenditure. In the years ahead, as more money comes in as a result of our job creation successes, naturally we will have more money to spend. I hope that in the future, we will eventually be able to find some capital money for projects like this. Currently, the priority has to be to have enough accommodation for existing pupils coming into primary and secondary levels and thereafter.

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