Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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In looking for a suitable site for a new building, Kerry Education Service and the board of management of Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí were offered a site by Tralee Town Council as part of the regeneration project in Tralee in 2012. Based on the offer and the preliminary consultation with all parties at executive, school and local levels, Kerry Education Service brought the offer to the Department of Education and Skills to progress the request for a new school.

The school operates out of a building that is not fit for purpose in its existing condition. The area of the site and the building combined with protected status does not allow for refurbishment or extension to meet current Department standards on subject-based requirements in an easy manner. The inflexibility of the structure has resulted in a high abnormal capital cost due to the additional planning requirements and construction methods. The ongoing maintenance costs are increased compared to other schools of similar size. The structure as it is today will require a number of capital projects to remain as a post-primary school and will not meet the current Department standards. The school has grown from 263 pupils in 2009 to 314 pupils today. It is estimated that by 2015, there will be in excess of 350 students. A new school building would ensure that growth would continue with the introduction of new subjects as well.

The proposed site offered by Tralee Town Council can accommodate up to 500 students. There may also be the possibility of a campus development to provide primary school and community facilities. The site has been offered for free by Tralee Town Council. There will also be a contribution to infrastructure on the site if it goes ahead. It offers significant potential for the Irish language as well as for the four feeder schools surrounding Tralee - Scoil Mhic Easmainn in Tralee, Gaelscoil Naomh Aogáin in Castleisland, Gaelscoil Lios Tuathail and Gaelscoil Faithleann in Killarney. In addition, 15 non-Irish primary schools send students to Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí. The site offered by Tralee Town Council would be signed over to Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí. The council's offer has potential. The site is at the back of the hospital so access to it is very easy. Two primary schools are in the vicinity and night classes and a campus development could be made available at the site. I hope the Department would look favourably on this application and make the necessary funding available to advance this project.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter as it provides me with the opportunity to clarify the current position in respect of a request for a new school building for Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí in Tralee, County Kerry. The Deputy may find it helpful if I set out the context within which decisions relating to meeting the

demographic challenge facing the education system in the coming years are made. Total enrolments in both primary and post-primary schools are expected to grow by almost 70,000 by 2018 - over 45,000 at primary level and 25,000 at post-primary - and will continue to grow up to at least 2024 at post-primary level.

Recent birth rate data published by the Central Statistics Office shows there were nearly 20,000 births registered in the first quarter of 2011. This is the highest number of births registered in any quarter since the series began in 1960. The birth data also show that 19,313 births were registered for the first quarter of 2012 and indicate a continuation of the high birth rates experienced in the past number of years. Given such recent population growth, we will have a much increased enrolment at all levels of education which is expected to continue in the medium term.

To ensure that every child has access to a physical school place, it is vital that there is sufficient school accommodation to cater for these pupil enrolments. The delivery of school projects to meet the increasing demographic demands will be the main focus for capital investment over the duration of the five-year plan, particularly in those areas where it has been identified that most demographic growth will be concentrated. In this regard, Tralee has not been identified as an area of significant demographic growth. Pupil enrolment projections for Tralee indicate that enrolments will remain relatively stable for the foreseeable future.

In respect of Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí, I wish to advise the Deputy that Kerry Education Service approached my Department last September with a proposal for the relocation and the provision of a new school building on a site to be provided by Tralee Town Council. In this context, a technical inspection of the site has been carried out by my Department to establish its suitability. The visit identified a number of issues that require clarification such as the size and extent of the site available for education purposes; how the site, which is currently landlocked, can be accessed; the potential impact of proposed access roads on the available proposed site; and how these works will be funded. My Department is liaising with Kerry Education Services regarding these aspects.

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I beg to differ with him because post-primary schools in Tralee are at bursting point. People are queuing up well in advance to get their child enrolled in Mercy Secondary School in Mounthawk. I mentioned the four feeder schools for Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí. There are also 15 other primary schools who are prepared to send students there. If one looks at the figures, the projection is that student numbers will increase to in excess of 350 by 2015.

The Minister is also aware that the current building was built in 1912 or 1913. It is totally unsuitable for refurbishment or upgrading. There are many problems, particularly with regard to planning issues.

In a short time there has been significant growth in pupil numbers in the Gaelcholáiste in Tralee. North Kerry has the second highest level of unemployment in the country per head of population, with many unemployed as a result of the collapse of the building boom. Construction of a school would provide employment in Tralee town, as well as providing a state-of-the-art facility for young people who wish to be educated through the medium of Irish.

The Minister of State referred to the fact that the site was land-locked. From my information I am certain that there is an entrance at the back of Kerry Co-Op. I hope the Minister of State will look favourably on the application and give it the political support necessary to bring it over the line.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I wish to clarify once again that the Department is liaising with the Kerry Education Service and the authorities in the Gaelcholáiste regarding the clarification that needs to be provided about the site. This relates to issues concerning current site restrictions and who will fund the provision of road access to the site. I refer to the case being made by the Deputy about the growth in demand for school places in Tralee. The school building unit of the Department of Education and Skills in Tullamore is using very scientific data to establish where there is demand, now and in the future. The Department uses two distinct sources of data, the census data from the CSO and data for children's allowance from the Department of Social Protection. The combination of these two data sources allows us to paint a very accurate picture of the future demand for school places. For the foreseeable future, there will not be significant increased demand in Tralee. There is no school provision in other locations throughout the country in which there is an urgent need to create places. For the next few years the major element of the Department's funding will be directed at these locations.