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

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. As he rightly recognised, my Department conducted a study of the demographic pressures throughout the country and indicated that four new primary schools and nine new post-primary schools were justified. Under the procedure operated within my Department, when it is identified that there is a demographic need, the Department runs a patronage process to decide who will operate the school. The criteria used in respect of patronage of the new school place particular emphasis on parental demand for plurality and diversity of patronage, with parental preferences from the area to be served being central to the process. In this regard, patrons and prospective patrons must collect and demonstrate evidence of parental demand from the area to be served for the model of provision proposed as part of their application under the process. My Department invited applications for the patronage last November and that closed for applications in January. The assessment stage of the process is rigorous and detailed and it has go through all the applications, identify whether they are within the catchment and so on.

Once completed, draft assessment reports will be forwarded for the consideration of the NSEG, which is an external independent advisory group set up to oversee the process. Contrary to what the Deputy said, the report has not arrived on my desk. Following its consideration, the NSEG will submit a report with recommendations to me for consideration and final decision. I will then announce who the successful patron of each of the four schools will be. The assessment reports and the NSEG recommendations will be available on my Department's website following the announcement.

I reassure the Deputy that care has to be taken in these matters because when there is a competition between different patrons, it has to be conducted in a fair and balanced way and, therefore, the time has to be taken to do that. I recognise the concerns of parents regarding the delay. However, the memorandum of understanding between my Department and the County and City Managers' Association helps us to identify sites for educational use. My Department has been working closely with Cork County Council towards acquiring a permanent site to meet the needs of the new primary school for Ballincollig. A number of potentially suitable sites were identified and were comprehensively technically assessed. Further consideration is now being given to a preferred site option with a view to advancing the acquisition process.

Given the commercial sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally, the Deputy will appreciate that I am not in a position to comment further at this time. Officials from my Department will be in contact with the relevant school authorities to inform them of the permanent location for the school once the site acquisition process has been completed. A project for the new primary school is included in my Department's six-year capital programme. Once a site is acquired, my Department will make the necessary arrangements to advance the school project concerned into architectural planning with a view to progressing the project to tender and construction during the period 2019-21, as outlined in the programme. In the meantime the school will open in September 2017 in suitable interim temporary accommodation.

With regard to the issue of special education needs and how SNA allocations will be made to the school, I will revert to the Deputy as that was not covered in the briefing material, given it is a new enrolment.

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