Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Yet again I raise the issue of school places at primary level in Dublin 15. It is hard to believe the Minister for Education and Science and this Government can act so callously as to deprive small children of a place in primary school. However, this is precisely what the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, and her junior Minister, Deputy Brian Lenihan, are doing in Littlepace, Castaheaney, Ongar, Diswellstown, Tyrellstown and in many other areas of Dublin 15. Parents are being left in limbo as to whether their child will get a place in primary school in September 2005. What is happening is not acceptable in any country least of all in a wealthy country such as Ireland.

The Minister for Education and Science seems to have a callous disregard for the needs of the children of Dublin 15. For Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats, the needs of millionaire property developers seem to come before those of school children and their parents. I have been inundated with complaints from very distressed parents who in good faith put their child's name down in the local school — in some cases, the month their child was born four and a half years ago — expecting to get a place but who have now been told that because of the huge number of children looking for places, their child cannot be accommodated even though they have visited the school every year for four years since the child was born. This is a crisis.

Mary Mother of Hope national school, Littlepace, Dublin 15, has only been able to accept 90 children, that is, three streams of junior infants, while more than 200 children applied for places. More than 100 children have been told to go away and that there is no place for them. St. Patrick's national school, Diswellstown, Castleknock, has only been able to accept 90 junior infants while at the moment, its applications are running between 140 and 160.

The new Castaheaney Educate Together school is also facing an uncertain September. The number of places is oversubscribed. At present the school children are being bussed to Lucan. The Minister has said she will get a school site but as yet neither she nor her Department has moved to acquire a site. It is getting very late in the year even to put a prefab on a site and get it ready for September. Other primary schools throughout Dublin 15 are inundated with requests from parents for places next September.

The Minister for Education and Science, Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats have allowed the situation with primary school places in Dublin 15 to slide into chaos once more with huge upset being caused to children and parents. Given what we were told the Government learned during the by-elections in Meath and North Kildare about the increased population and all the new building and housing, we thought that something would have been done. I call on the Minister for Education and Science to establish a task force as a matter of urgency to deal with the crisis in school places manifesting itself in the Dublin 15 area and which will be truly dreadful for parents and children come next September.

I hope the Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, has come to the House with good news rather than more hand-wringing and saying he is sorry but the Government did not know an extra 10,000 houses were being built over the past five years in this school catchment area.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I apologise to the House and Deputy Burton for the Minister, Deputy Hanafin's, inability to attend. However, on her behalf, I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and for giving me the opportunity to outline the actions being taken by the Department of Education and Science to address the school accommodation needs of the Dublin 15 area in general.

The Minister is fully conscious that the Dublin 15 area is one of the most rapidly developing areas in the country and, as a result, there has been a marked increase in the demand for school places, particularly at primary level. The Department is taking a number of immediate measures to increase the capacity of existing schools in the area concerned along with the development of new schools to meet this growing demand.

A building project at Sacred Heart national school, Huntstown, will increase its capacity to 32 classrooms. This project is nearing completion. In addition, a building project to provide a new school building for Mary Mother of Hope national school is currently on site and should be ready for use this September. To further expand capacity at this school, the Department has approached the school's board of management to discuss the possibility of expanding the school to cater for a four stream intake at junior infant level for next September. This could be achieved by the school expanding to a 32 classroom school or reorganising to form a junior and senior school.

The area in question is also served by Castaheaney Educate Together national school. The Department is currently pursuing the issue of site acquisition for this school and the provision of a permanent school building for it will be prioritised in the Department. It is envisaged that the demand for places will be such that this school may need to grow to a 24 classroom school which would facilitate an annual intake of three junior infant classes. In the interim, temporary accommodation will be provided to meet the school's immediate needs for next September.

Recently the Department met the management authorities of St. Patrick's national school, Diswellstown, and St. Francis Xavier junior national school to discuss enrolments for September 2005. Following this meeting, the Department sanctioned provision of a fourth temporary classroom for St. Patrick's which will enable it to offer places to a further 30 children on its waiting list.

The Department also sanctioned provision of two temporary classrooms for St. Patrick's junior national school, Corduff, to cater for the increased demand for junior infant places. An application to establish a new Educate Together primary school in Tyrellstown is under consideration with the new schools' advisory committee and a decision on this will be made in the near future. The Department is confident the implementation of the measures I have outlined will alleviate the demand for pupil places in this rapidly developing area.

As to the political charge that the Minister is callous, any neutral observer will appreciate she is very caring and most anxious to facilitate the many children in this growing and developing area of Dublin 15. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter.