Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies Ryan and O'Reilly for raising this matter. I am sorry that the Minister, Deputy McHugh, is not here. I have been given an answer by the Department. I will go back to the Minister with the extra information. I will make sure he contacts both Deputies. I spent approximately 18 years working as a school principal. I understand all the issues around education. I am pleased to have an opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, to set out for the Dáil the situation around school places in north County Dublin, particularly at Skerries community college. The Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas to plan for school provision and to analyse the relevant demographic data. It uses a geographical information system, with data from a range of sources, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. The Department uses this information to carry out nationwide demographic exercises to determine where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary levels.

As the Deputies will be aware, in April 2018 the Government announced its plans for the establishment of 42 new schools over the four-year period from 2019 to 2022, including five new primary schools and three new post-primary schools in the north County Dublin and Fingal area. In addition, four new primary and seven new post-primary schools have been established in the area in recent years. The requirement for new schools will be kept under ongoing review and will have particular regard to the increased roll-out of housing provision as outlined in Project Ireland 2040. The Department's capital programme provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms, if required, in schools where an immediate enrolment need has been identified or an additional teacher has been appointed.

The Department is aware of the enrolment issues in the Skerries area for 2020. It is in ongoing direct contact with the patron of Skerries community college in respect of capacity in the school. Skerries community college has expressed a willingness to increase its long-term projected enrolment to 1,000 pupils. In this regard, interim temporary accommodation has been approved for Skerries community college, pending the assessment of future accommodation needs. The patron of Skerries community college is currently tendering for the interim accommodation approved. It is expected to have all interim accommodation in place for September 2020. The assessment process to determine the school's permanent accommodation needs is nearing completion. The provision of additional accommodation on the site must be carefully planned with consideration to the limitations of the site. While I understand the enrolment situation may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in their first-choice school, my Department's main responsibility is to ensure existing schools in the area can, between them, cater for the demand for school places in September 2020.

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