Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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59. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has considered the evidence supplied to him from north Kildare parents (details supplied) on the provision of a gaelcholáiste for the north-eastern Kildare region; his response to the findings; if he will open a dialogue with the parents with a view to resolving the matter for them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29408/14]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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I passed a document to the Minister of State detailing a survey conducted by parents in north Kildare whose children were being educated through the medium of Irish in seven gaelscoileanna under a system in which secondary schools had been provided in west Dublin in Lucan and Clondalkin. From 2015 that option will no longer be available because full capacity will have been reached in west Dublin. Pupils from six schools or seven rang a sé will have no gaelscoil to go to in 2015. It simply will not be an option for them. The survey demonstrates that there are the numbers, but a decision must be made on a gaelcholáiste in north Kildare.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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If I am not mistaken, the Deputy has raised this issue previously.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Yes.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I hope, therefore, that I am not repeating the same reply to the Deputy. To date, the Department has not received any formal submission from parents in north Kildare on the provision of a gaelcholáiste in the north-eastern Kildare region. There is a five year construction plan which is well established. The establishment of any new school is, therefore, considered in the context of the overall need for additional school places to meet future demographic demands. The Deputy has probably heard this before. I acknowledge that there is one post-primary school in Maynooth, Maynooth post-primary school. A new post-primary school, Maynooth community college, will be added to the provision this September. It will have an all-Irish Aonad, which is the nub of the issue. I will sit down with the Deputy who may wish to address that point.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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I most certainly do. The survey was provided for the Department. I am not sure who is doing the counting in it, but essentially the parents maintain that an Aonad will not cut it. They have sent their children to all-Irish primary schools and the numbers in all-Irish primary schools can be counted. We do not expect every child who attends an Irish primary school to go to an all-Irish secondary school, but our experience suggests approximately 60% do. An Aonad is not acceptable to them. There is now a well established community in place and the first all-Irish school was established in 1979. Essentially, what is being provided in Maynooth amounts to two second level schools side by side, with the education and training board as patron. Many of us are wondering where the Department obtained the numbers for the provision of secondary education. There is no capacity available in Lucan or Clondalkin. Put simply, the students will have no gaelcholáiste option. The parents know the difference between immersion in the language in a gaelcholáiste as opposed to an Aonad which covers the core subjects core. In any case, the core subjects are often not provided through Irish. Has the Minister State read the report? Did someone read the findings of the survey and, if not, why not? If the report has not been read, will the Minister of State ensure someone will read it and come back to us with a though-out position?

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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As I understand it, a total of 80 places are being made available through the Aonad. If the Deputy is suggesting the demand from the community for a gaelcholáiste is such that the Aonad is not a sufficient response, we will have to find a way of facilitating a further conversation based on an interrogation of the survey. The reply furnished to me suggests that included in the first year enrolment at the new school will be an allocation of 31 students for the all-Irish Aonad. While there is no waiting list for the Aonad, an additional 85 first year places can be filled in Maynooth community college. These places can be filled either in the Aonad, on the English language side of the school or between the two facilities, depending on demand.

Obviously, there is a gap between what the Department and the community are saying and, somehow, we are going to have to work to bridge it. I will speak with the Deputy after Question Time.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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It is not a gap; it is an ocean. In a survey parents replied that, if they were given an Aonad, 62% would opt for English. They have already made a commitment through the medium of Irish in primary school. This is a good news story for the revival of the language, but it is not lost on many that in the 2015-16 school year, 2016 being a significant anniversary, that we will go backwards in an area in which parents have demonstrated a commitment by sending children to certain schools. Every year some children cannot be accommodated in all-Irish primary schools. This issue must be examined. I will speak to the Minister of State after Question Time.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I am open to correction, but it is my understanding the Department has confirmed that, if is demonstrated that there is sufficient demand for education through the medium of Irish in the Aonad over a four year cycle, the establishment of an independent gaelcoláiste can be considered.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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The community has been demonstrating it for 30 years.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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The Deputy and I will discuss the matter.