Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the way in which she proposes to address the growing problem of inadequate provision of school places for children in areas of expanding population, especially in Dublin and the counties bordering Dublin; if she will pursue with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the possibility of having the Planning and Development Act 2000 amended to make sites for schools available at affordable prices; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8092/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am conscious of the issues raised by the Deputy and in particular the pressures for places in some schools and colleges in the greater Dublin area and in those areas within commuting distance of Dublin which are experiencing major population growth. To this end my Department is prioritising the provision of new and enhanced educational facilities in these areas. The prioritisation criteria which were recently revised in consultation with the education partners allocates a top priority band one rating to school building projects in such areas.

My Department is included among the prescribed authorities to whom local authorities are statutorily obliged to send draft development plans or proposed variations to development plans for comment. As a matter of course, meetings are arranged with local authorities to establish the location, scale and pace of any major proposed developments and their possible implications for school provision to ensure as far as possible the timely delivery of the required education infrastructure.

The areas covered in the first phase of this approach to school planning include north Dublin, south Louth and mid-Meath in one plan and a separate plan for the N4-M4 route running from Leixlip to Kilbeggan and including Maynooth, Celbridge, Kilcock, Edenderry and rapidly developing villages and towns on that route.

In regard to the availability and costs of sites for school buildings, the Deputy will be aware of the provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000. All these measures taken in combination will enable us to build on the progress made to date and respond ever more effectively to emerging need.

The Deputy has also raised the matter of site acquisition and ensuring that sites are available at affordable prices. The position is that my Department, working with the local authorities, causes land to be reserved for school development in particular areas. While it would be fair to say that the cost of sites impacts on the overall capital envelope available for school buildings, it is important to note that the question of acquiring suitable land per se rarely in practice slows up the delivery of a school building project in a rapidly developing area.

There is an issue whether my Department ends up paying a fair and reasonable price for school sites and what contribution, if any, a developer should make. The provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000 do not place an onus on developers to provide school sites other than at market rates. I am keeping an open mind as to whether legislative change might be of assistance or prove the best way forward. Any changes in this area would require careful consideration in the context of constitutional protection for private property and in weighing up how any reduction in the price per acre of any land given for schools development might impact on the unit costs and affordability of houses developed on the remaining lands.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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I am a member of the All-Party Committee on the Constitution. In our recommendations we said it would be possible to have land made available for educational purposes at affordable prices without affecting the Constitution and we got legal advice on that issue. It costs the Department money that could otherwise be spent on school buildings, expansions and so on. It is a matter of public accountability that we try to buy land for schools at prices that are not inflated. I am aware that Educate Together met the Minister recently and made that point.

Given the recent dramatic expansion in population, does the Minister agree that not having a proactive approach in the Department of Education and Science and waiting for local communities to get organised for new schools affects children and parents and their opportunity to be in schools of a reasonable size with decent classrooms? A report in her Department suggests that within the next 15 years, primary enrolments will increase from the current level of fewer than 450,000 to approximately 600,000 and that second level enrolments will increase from 335,000 to 405,000. Are there plans in the Department to be more proactive in assuming the role of setting up new schools and supporting local communities rather than expecting schools to start up in scout halls, rugby clubs and all kinds of unsuitable accommodation until such time as they reach a certain size?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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On the Deputy's first point on the issue of sites, I would like to see a situation where a developer had to make a site available at low or no cost to the Department of Education and Science. However, I want to ensure he does not then hike up the price of houses. That said, it may be worth it for those people to have children in their schools.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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It would be made a condition of the rezoning.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The legal advice is that one cannot make it a condition of the rezoning. That issue would have to be examined because a property right is involved. In fairness, there are local authorities, such as Fingal County Council, which are being extraordinarily helpful to us to ensure the Department does not end up paying large sums of money. There can be a programme through which community facilities are provided and that can link in with the developer's work. On the other side there are some developers who offer to make contributions towards the building of schools. In an area which will be a new town of 20,000 people, a developer said he would provide a four-teacher school which would not go far in meeting the need.

The Deputy's second question related to planning generally. A new group or patron is not allowed to set up a school in a scout hall. It must be able to show it can develop and grow within the site during the coming years. The area development plans and the commission on schools is one way of ensuring proper development and plans for an area. It is through that committee we have seen applications being made, following notification, public consultation, identification of the real need and temporary or permanent recognition, leading to the provision of a school in an area. That system has worked well, particularly in some of the new areas, and I have mentioned some of the new schools which have been provided as a result. There is also the development of gaelscoileanna and Educate Together so that planning for the future is being looked at in many different ways and not just from the point of view of demographics. The difficulty is not that we do not have school buildings but that some happen to be in the wrong places.