Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and doing her job as a constituency TD, as I did myself in the Opposition benches and continue to do as a Minister of State in respect of similar scenarios. Her raising of the issue is a chance to outline the position of the Department. The Minister and Department are correct that there is a strong pipeline of project delivery for schools in the area, and these projects are delivering capacity. The Department has been in contact with schools and patrons and is aware of the situation. I thank Deputy Whitmore, the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, and others in the constituency. The Minister is aware of the evolving situation for September 2024. The critical next step is the prompt provision by the schools of clear data on applications for admission, and engagement with the schools and patrons is ongoing in that respect. The information is critical. Officials will continue to liaise with each school patron to find a workable solution to ensure no student will be without a place in September 2024.

The priority for the Department is to ensure that there are places available for every student for the next school year and every school year. The Department will continue to engage with patrons and school authorities in this regard. I expect further clarity will be provided to families and school communities in the coming weeks.

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