David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Office of the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me raise this matter and the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Haughey, for coming in to address the issue.

I have raised the matter of the shortage of post-primary school places in Midleton, east Cork on a number of occasions in the House previously. Currently, there are four second level schools in the Midleton area, a number in Cobh and a number in Youghal. However, I want to focus on the situation in Midleton where the schools are full. I have done a projection of the future need, based on the enrolment figures in the primary schools. By the time the children from junior infants up to fifth class reach second level school, there will be 800 extra students looking for places in Midleton as some 20 primary schools feed into the town. The schools are full now, but as far as I am aware, there are no plans to increase the number of places at second level. A new school is required.

In April last year the former Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Mary Hanafin, advised that the Department was in the process of identifying the areas where significant additional accommodation would be required at primary and post-primary level for 2009 and onwards. Can the Minister of State inform us what is happening in that regard or communicate with me afterwards on the issue?

I have been told that no land is zoned for a school in the area, but that there has been some communication between the Department and the local authority. However, not much seems to be happening. Already this year, students have been told there is no school place for them and I am afraid the situation will get worse. Some 800 extra children will come on stream in the next number of years as a result of the explosion in housing in the area, but no plans are in place to cope with this and no land has been zoned for a school. What is even more worrying is that when I asked the former Minister for Education and Science last February about enrolment trends, she said the information requested was not readily available in her Department.

I am aware there have been problems in the Dublin area in this regard, but it is now happening in the east Cork area. A new rail link is coming into the area and large amounts of land were zoned for housing. Houses have been built, but there is no provision for extra schools, although the schools in the area are full.

I urge the Minister to take this issue on board as a matter of urgency and to start planning now. I am sure the Minister realises that even if he cracks the whip in the Department today on planning, it will take five or six years before anything happens. The schools are full now and are talking about putting up prefabs. That may work at primary level, but will not work at second level because specialist rooms are required. It is much more difficult to cater for these with prefabs. There is also the question of health and safety. We cannot cram children into narrow corridors and schools with not enough room for them. The current schools were not designed for that. The issue is crucial.

I am here to advocate on behalf of the people I represent in east Cork in the Midleton area. There are also problems in Cobh and Youghal, but not to the same extent currently. I look forward to what the Minister of State has to say in his remarks and hope he has a Christmas present for the people I represent.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it affords me the opportunity to outline to the Dáil the process being used in the Department of Education and Science to ensure there will be sufficient accommodation in schools at primary and post-primary level in all parts of the country.

In response to the rapid pace of social and demographic change in Ireland, the forward planning section of the Department now uses the latest technology in geographical information systems, GIS, to assist it in planning the location of schools for the future. The GIS system contains information on all schools in the country, primary and post-primary, which are geocoded to their correct location. This information is then linked to the relevant demographic information for those geographic areas, with a view to forecasting future school accommodation needs.

Typically, the demographic information will be from the Census 2006 population figures, supplemented by information from the local authority. The An Post geodirectory is also used to set out spatially where demographic increases are occurring. To assess future school accommodation needs, growth projection figures are applied to existing population figures, which are supplied either by local authorities through their area development plans or based on CSO regional population projections.

The forward planning section of the Department is in the process of applying this technological approach to the entire country and when this exercise has been completed, a full data set on priority areas will be available. As a matter of course, there is also ongoing liaison between the forward planning section and local authorities in order to establish the location, scale and pace of any proposed major housing developments and their possible implications for school provision.

In this regard, officials from the Department have met with officials from Cork County Council to assess the extent of ongoing and proposed residential developments in County Cork, particularly with regard to the east and southern environs of Cork city, including the Midleton area. As part of the Midleton special local area plan, the local authority has included plans for the provision and construction of primary schools and the setting aside of land for the construction of a new post-primary school to meet the educational needs of the population of the area.

Progress on the development of these schools, together with any applications for capital funding from existing providers, will be considered for progression in the context of the Department's school building and modernisation programme, consistent with the priority attaching to these projects under the Department's published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects.

I thank the Deputy again for raising this matter and assure him that the capital allocation of €4.5 billion for school buildings under the current national development plan will be prioritised by the Department to ensure that school places are available where needed, including in Midleton.

I take this opportunity to wish Deputy Stanton, all the staff of the House, the Acting Chairman, Deputy Charlie O'Connor, and all his constituents in Tallaght and surrounding areas a very happy Christmas.

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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That is very kind of the Minister of State. I am sure the people of Tallaght will be very happy to hear that. I also wish to thank colleagues for their assistance. I wish all a very happy Christmas, including staff and the nice people in the media.