Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As I previously outlined, in quantifying the specific requirements for September 2022, the Department is assessing its nationwide demographic exercises to determine where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary levels across the 314 school planning areas through a geographical information system. The GIS uses data from a range of sources, including information from the Department of Social Protection, the Department of Education school enrolment databases and much more to identify where pressures for school places across the country will arise. In line with a strengthened approach in recent years, the process involves specific initiatives such as enhanced engagement with local authorities, which is hugely important, and information on residential development because clearly, as the Deputy will appreciate, where houses go education goes as well. There is additional engagement with patron bodies in regard to their local knowledge on school place requirements and with education and training boards, diocesan offices, national patron bodies such as Educate Together and An Foras Pátrúnachta, etc. They can also be an important source of knowledge. This will add to the information also provided to the Department by local authorities or individual schools. Utilising the information gleaned from schools under the national inventory of school capacity completed by individual schools last year as part of the PPOD returns process is also significant.

I assure the Deputy that the Department will continue to engage with patron bodies in identifying specific September 2022 capacity pressure points, prioritise those pressure points going forward and put in place the necessary and very specific actions. As the Deputy will appreciate, the demands in one school are not necessarily mirrored in terms of demands in other schools. I assure the Deputy that I am very happy to engage with him in regard to the specific issues he raised in regard to his own area.

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