Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle and I thank her for allowing me to raise this issue again. There is a serious problem throughout north Kildare at the present time. It is welcome, of course, that we have an increasing population and an increase in employment and commercial activity. The significant increase in population impacts on school places. Almost every school and area in the north of the county is affected by either a potential shortage of school places or an existing shortage of such places. Even when new schools have been provided, massive schools, to cater for the population, there are now warning signs that the schools are not big enough or that they need another school and we need to move on in that area.

School transport has also been an issue in that area for quite a long time and it is a contributory factor to the annoyance of the parents and children who are facing the possibility of having difficulty getting a school place by next September. I know that next September is a good time away. I have spoken to the Minister about this and she said that she hopes that the issue can be dealt with in time for the next school year. However, to be sure that everything is moving in the same direction at the same time, I ask that she carries out an assessment of the need in respect of primary and second level schools.

For instance, St. Farnan's Post Primary School in Prosperous should have been built by now. I know that we had Covid-19, and so on and so forth, which slowed everything down but I believe there is a new urgency that has not manifested a response just yet and it is needed. An assessment needs to be done to test the ability to meet the demand in all areas of primary and second level schools, and special needs requirements as well. These schools all need to be done at the same time as they are all under pressure. I spoke with some of the people in the past number of days who are directly involved and it is necessary now to have an updated assessment of the this need given: the population increase, the demand for all services, and the fact that these two issues have been brought to the attention of everybody, including public representatives in the past couple of years.

My query is whether that assessment can be done as a matter of urgency with a view to conducting the ability of the system to deliver the necessary school places, special needs places, special needs teachers and assistants, and at the same time to enhance, insofar as is possible, the school transport system, which is obviously related, because some children have to move to other schools when places are not available for them. We have had difficulty with that in the past so I ask, if possible, that that be done as a matter of urgency to ensure that we do not have children scrambling for places or parents having to worry about the possibility.

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