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

I will not apologise for that. We put that reform in place and that is the way it should always have been. That was not always the case. When the site is picked, it will be the right site. That means it will not get delayed at other stages and we will be able to access the site with the correct infrastructure. It will be the right site for all the stakeholders. I have seen with previous Administrations how sites were picked for the wrong reasons. They were left for ten or 15 years, stuck in planning and so on, and that is not the way to do business. It is right that Donegal County Council has a leading role in picking this site with the Department. The right site will be picked and developed.

As I have said, we appraise the demographics of all these areas and prioritise schools according to urgency. That is how we have corrected the approach to urgency in providing spaces for children who want to attend primary school. The mess was left behind by other Administrations but we have corrected it. We now have a proper way of doing the planning element. It might be a little slow in the early stages but we eventually catch up when the right site is picked.

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