Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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The Acting Chairman's intervention on the time issue was timely. I will deal with the issue as quickly as I can. The Minister of State is aware of the particular situation which has emerged in Kilcock, County Kildare, which relates to the difficulty parents have in enrolling their children in Scoil Uí Riada, which moved to a new building in 2008. It has been very successful and caters for a wider catchment area than most people would expect. It provides educational facilities in the town of Kilcock along with two other schools, Scoil Choca Naofa and St. Joseph's. All of the schools are of an excellent quality and give an excellent service, but it just so happens, as has occurred in many other schools in areas with population expansion, that a difficulty has arisen in the current year. Many parents, some of whom are enrolling a first child, thought they had enrolled their child last year but now find they cannot obtain a place in the next school year.

I am aware this is a local issue, but it is one which can be resolved. I thank the Ceann Comhairle and the Minister of State for affording me the facility of raising the matter, which I am doing on the basis it might be possible to arrange a meeting, under the auspices of the Minister for Education and Skills, involving the patron, the school authorities and, perhaps, representation from the two other schools in the area, with a view to achieving a satisfactory and amicable solution. A great deal can be done on a subject of this nature at local level with encouragement from the statutory authorities such as the Department of Education and Skills, hence my request that if at all possible, at the earliest possible date, the Minister might arrange a meeting between all of the parties concerned to make a special effort to resolve the difficulty at this stage.

It should fall within the realms of easy resolution if we deal with it in time.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. He is right in saying it is an important issue, one of which the Department is aware, and it needs resolving. I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, who cannot be here today as she is attending some meetings down the country.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it gives me the opportunity to remind the House of the significant challenges facing us in terms of meeting increasing demand for pupil places throughout the country in the coming years as well as clarifying the position in regard to the provision of school places in Kilcock, County Kildare. We had a debate on foot of other parliamentary questions in recent days regarding the additional funding that has been won for education which has nearly all been swallowed up by the increasing numbers with the change in demographics, and extra places are needed across all the levels of education.

The Deputy will be aware of the demographic challenge facing the education system in the coming years. Nationwide, the Department expects that it will be required to provide some 152,000 extra primary and post-primary school places in the coming years. It is vital therefore that there is sufficient school accommodation available to cope with these pupil enrolments to ensure that every child will have access to a physical school place. To meet the needs of our growing population of school-going children, the Department must establish new schools as well as extend or replace a number of existing schools in areas where demographic growth has been identified. The delivery of these new schools, together with extension projects to meet future demand, will be the main focus of the Department's budget for the coming years.

While the Department would be seeking to provide additional accommodation to meet demographic growth, it would also aim to ensure maximum use of existing school accommodation. A priority therefore for the Department is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places and that there is sufficient overall capacity. This may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.

The Department has recently completed a nationwide demographic review to determine where additional primary school places might be needed from 2015 onwards. On foot of this review, it has been determined that there is no additional primary educational infrastructural needs in Kilcock beyond that recently delivered or already planned and in train to meet the area's needs. The Department is not in a position to duplicate provision in any area when it has a requirement to provide some 152,000 extra school places nationwide over the coming years.

Gaelscoil Uí Riada, which was constructed by the Department at a cost of €4.2 million, is recognised by the Department as a two-stream national school. Its annual intake comprises two junior infant classes and grows incrementally each year to sixth class. As a once-off arrangement, the patron approved an intake of a third junior infant class for the 2014-15 school year only. This once-off arrangement was pending the outcome of the patron's proposal that the boys' and girls' schools in Kilcock, St. Joseph's and Clochar na Naofa, would offer co-education. The proposal originated from parental demand for co-education in Kilcock and followed consultation with all of the relevant stakeholders locally, including parents and school staff. The co-educational arrangement will commence next September and the Department understands that St. Joseph's and Clochar na Naofa have initiated the enrolment process for September 2015. All these schools in Kilcock will therefore offer co-education from 2015 onwards.

I also wish to advise the Deputy that the Department is in contact with the patron of the three schools in Kilcock in regard to enrolments for the forthcoming school year. The Department understands that the patron is consulting directly with the schools concerned relating to the enrolment matters raised. The Department will continue to liaise with the patron, which has ultimate responsibility for the governance and management of the schools concerned.

The Deputy has asked for a specific meeting. I can discuss that with the Minister and see if the Department considers there is the need for that to happen. There was a sense with the engagement with the patrons and across the board that matters were beginning to move. However, I will convey the Deputy's recommendation to the Minister and see if that needs to be arranged.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for the content of his reply and I hope that the meeting sought can be arranged as quickly as possible. It could do an awful lot at this stage to resolve and explain the issues from both perspectives and that could be done in an amicable fashion. The longer issues of this nature are allowed to drag on, the more they exacerbate the situation. I welcome the Minister of State's indication of being willing, along with his ministerial colleague, to facilitate such an event.

As the Minister of State will be aware, there is an ongoing debate for the provision of a Gaelcholáiste in the general area as well. I emphasise that the demand is growing rapidly and much more rapidly than I thought. From the age profile of the people I saw at a recent public meeting in the town, there is a huge demand arising and it is coming much faster than was anticipated. I must say to the Minister of State that I fear for the Meath footballers in time to come because Kildare is ready and waiting to produce a new population to deal with that. On a more serious note, I ask that the Minister encourages all the parties concerned under the aegis of the Department of Education and Skills to come together in the fashion I suggested.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I am shaking in my boots at the prospect of Kildare coming at us. The Deputy should start threatening the Dubs first after last week. Likewise, the population of Meath is growing as well, so there might be increased competition between Kildare and Meath in the years ahead, but neither of us have much to boast about at the moment, so we will have to work on that.

On the issues raised by the Deputy, he is right. The idea is that the Department is trying to get everyone talking and I believe the patrons are doing that at the moment. I hope that will give the result the Deputy requires, and if it does not, we will have to examine other ways of doing that. The Deputy suggested a meeting. I will convey that message to my colleague and we will see what can be done in that respect.

The issue is the future demographics, to which the Deputy referred. In fairness, the forward planning unit of the Department of Education and Skills has been very successful in recent years in planning ahead and making sure that areas under serious pressure in terms of demographics are getting their schools built in time and the school places available in time, which did not happen in the past. However, under this Government that has changed and there is now proper forward planning. We have the school five-year plan that will end next year and we have another five-year plan due to come out following that, which will specifically target resources in areas suffering from demographic changes where the populations are either moving to areas or they are developing naturally. Either way, the schools are needed and that demand is being met at great cost to the Department of Education and Skills, but the key point is that the planning unit is on top of the game, which was not always the case. They were not always allowed to locate the schools in the right place but now the right decisions are being made.

I hope Kilcock has been assessed properly. I would say it has but this issue needs to be sorted out for this term and this enrolment year and we have to work on that. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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The Acting Chairman will note that we were good timewise in that we completed the issue ahead of the time allocated.

Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for that and I appreciate it.