Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Alan Farrell for raising this issue. It is important to set out the backdrop. Our Department is seeking to provide 20,000 new places every year. This includes 15,000 new places for expanding populations and 5,000 necessary replacements. That is absorbing 80% of our budget. We have to be sensitive and ensure that when we commit to expand capacity, it is genuinely needed. The reliance on demographic calculations is at the core of what we seek to do.

I agree with Deputy Farrell that Swords is a growth area. Currently, we are undertaking a detailed demographic review throughout the country in light of the new census returns, preschool places and so on. They make up the dataset. I would be in no way surprised if Swords showed the need for additional capacity in future. The review will be available later in the year.

My Department is tracking enrolment at present particularly closely. There are 13 schools in the catchment. We have to work within the catchments.

The estimation is that there will be about 760 enrolments in junior infants. At this stage my Department remains confident that the availability of places will meet the requirements. As the Deputy rightly acknowledges, there is some duplication, with parents making applications to different schools at the same time. Nonetheless, my Department has been advised by three primary schools that they currently have junior infant places available. These schools have also expressed a willingness to offer further junior infant places for 2017 if necessary. We have the capacity to monitor this and respond, should it be necessary. I acknowledge this always creates uncertainty for parents and I sympathise with that. People may find that they are not getting a place in the school of their choice and that presents difficulties. However, given the pressure on our school building budgets, I have to ensure that priority lies with areas where there is clear population growth and additional capacity needed. That is why we go through this process.

The advice I have received from my departmental officials is that they remain confident that we will be able to meet the demands of the area. However, we are monitoring closely the acceptance of places in different schools and the knock-on effect those acceptances have on the waiting lists in other schools. Those effects are only materialising as we speak. We are keeping a very close eye on the situation. I am very conscious of the concern that Deputy Farrell has repeatedly expressed on this issue.

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