Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his detailed response and for outlining a roadmap for us.

I can assure the Minister that all three boards of management are very keen to address the structural deficits. I will take the Minister up on the process he outlined and talk to him about the matter. The two summer works applications that have been submitted for the two primary schools are a matter of great urgency and I hope they get the utmost consideration in the short term.

The Minister referred to capacity and the planning of new schools. I welcome his announcement last weekend of engagement between Kildare and Wicklow ETB and Educate Together on a possible partnership. This comes after a very long campaign, as the Ceann Comhairle is aware, by the South Kildare Educate Together campaign. The Minister's announcement did not refer to a specific school. Locally, the ETB would have argued that St. Conleth's was the preferred option. I ask that the Department maintain an open mind on a possible partnership as those discussions continue.

The Educate Together campaign in south Kildare had a two-pronged approach. It fought for increased provision of choice in the south Kildare area, which is needed and desired by a number of parents and constituents. The second element concerned the pressure on space in Kildare, in particular the Newbridge area at second level where there is a lot of pressure in terms of capacity. There are three schools listed on the building programme which require extensions, the Patrician Secondary School in Newbridge, Cross and Passion College in Kilcullen and at Athy Community College. Spaces in those schools were needed yesterday. There is significant pressure and I want the projects to be progressed as quickly as possible.

A new school building on the Curragh site would address some of the capacity issues in Newbridge town. It would deal with all of the feeder schools in the rural hinterland. In the overall context of the pressure on school spaces in south Kildare, a new school on the Curragh campus would fit. I look forward to working with the Minister and his officials on the matter.

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