Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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This is an issue the Minister of State may not be fully aware of and I appreciate her taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Bruton. In effect, it concerns a school based on the edge of the Minister, Deputy Bruton's constituency of Dublin Bay North and my constituency of Dublin North-West. Gaelscoil Cholmcille on Oscar Traynor Road has applied for a developing school status, which would allow for an extra class in the school. The Minister, Deputy Bruton, had met representatives from the school who outlined the demand for an extra class this year and forthcoming school years. As the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, might be aware, there is a strong demand for Gaelscoileanna both across Dublin and throughout the State and the demand has increased in recent years.

According to a letter - which I have seen - from the Gaelscoil to a parent who is a constituent of mine, the Department has stated there are sufficient school places in the local area to cater for the demand. However, the school claims that these are not places in a Gaelscoil, which they are not, as there are no other local Gaelscoileanna. While there are places available for a child to enrol in a school, they are not available for the particular type of school in which the child wishes to enrol. While I fully appreciate that an assessment is ongoing in terms of the status of the school and the possibility of it opening a second stream of classes, however, schools such as Gaelscoil Cholmcille encourage the school experience through the Irish language, a love of learning, tradition and culture of this country. The option to send their child to such a school should be straightforward for parents, yet they face rejection letters consistently or are added to long waiting lists.

Allied to this, another aspect was brought to my attention when I met one parent whose child was rejected for class enrolment. The parent had paid for basic Irish lessons in order that their child could be up to speed in the language going into the school. A great many parents may not be proficient in the Irish language and Irish may not be spoken in the home but they have the aspiration for their children to speak the language and a great grá for it. Even if they do not speak it, they want their children to speak it. That is admirable and it means that parents who want their children to go to a Gaelscoil incur an expense perhaps in advance of applying for enrolment to a Gaelscoil and this should also be acknowledged.

The Minister, Deputy Bruton, is trying to confront the issue of more diverse education choices being available to parents and he must be commended on that work to date. Since my election in Dublin North-West, I have witnessed an Educate Together secondary school opening, which is great. We have not had that choice before. Plurality of choice is a very good thing in education. We also have had a commitment of a primary school to accommodate prospective pupils in the Finglas west and south areas with the patronage currently open for tender, for which there are a number of different bidders from different school backgrounds. While these schools are most welcome in these areas I still believe there is more to be done, which something with which I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, and the Minister, Deputy Bruton would agree.

Census 2011 showed that 14,000 of the population of Dublin city identified as a daily Irish speaker. This shows there is still a clear appetite for our national language in the capital. I imagine we will see an increase in that number when we receive the full final published results of census 2016.

While I fully understand why a parent would wish to have their child immersed in our national language from such an early age, I fully believe that in recent years we have perhaps lost touch with our national language, something which many young parents, in particular, are trying to rectify. The Government should commit to assist this wave of education in the Irish language. I hope that the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, and the Minister, Deputy Bruton, and his Department will continue their fine work in opening up the education system.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Bruton. I thank Deputy Rock for raising the matter as it provides me with an opportunity to outline to the House the current position relating to Gaelscoil Cholmcille. For the Deputy's information, I will outline the background to the establishment of Gaelscoil Cholmcille. It is recognised by the Department as a co-educational single-stream primary school catering for pupils from junior infants to sixth class. The current staffing at the school is a principal plus nine mainstream teachers and two permanent resource teachers. Due to the number of pupils enrolled, the school currently has a staffing complement of nine mainstream teachers. However, it continues to be recognised as a single-stream school by the Department.

In 2007, the Department agreed to buy a 2.7 acre site from Dublin City Council to provide accommodation for the school. Planning permission was granted in 2007 to construct a two-storey building containing 12 classrooms and ancillary accommodation. The Department constructed the new school on this site at a cost of almost €1.4 million and the building was occupied in April 2008. All statutory approvals, including planning permission, were secured for the development. The planning permission granted does not limit the period that the structure is allowed to stay in place. The expected lifespan of the school building is in excess of 25 to 30 years. More recently, the school has written to the Department seeking permission to develop the school to a two-stream 16-classroom school. This would require the construction of an additional eight classrooms. The school is making the case that it wishes to accommodate all applicants, as well as those children who may potentially emerge from the proposed residential development on the Dublin City Council lands at Oscar Traynor Road.

I wish to inform the Deputy that the Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton, recently met representatives of the school relating to the matter. Following this meeting, the Minister requested his Department to re-examine the demographic pressures in the catchment area. This work is now under way. This will involve examining future trends in enrolments in the school planning area, which includes Gaelscoil Cholmcille, and assessing the availability of capacity in all of the existing schools in the area.

Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for the response and for taking the time to come into the House to address this important issue. She referred to demographic pressures.

This school in effect straddles two constituencies: Dublin North-West and Dublin Bay North. In its back garden, in effect, is a large brownfield site ripe for development. It is quite clear that this will see development most likely through 2018 and 2019 and therefore the demographic pressures in this area and on this school will continue to increase. Both constituencies at large are subject to huge population growth. My own is one of the fastest growing in the country, so I can clearly see the case and can clearly see that this is now in process. The Minister has met with representatives of the school and parents whose children attend it and I can see that he is listening to them. I therefore appreciate the contribution of the Minister of State on behalf of the Department on this occasion. I will continue to do my work on behalf of the parents and those concerned in the area in respect of the school. I thank the Minister of State for her contribution. Perhaps I will raise the matter again in the future.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Again, I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to outline the position regarding Gaelscoil Cholmcille. I understand perfectly well where the Deputy is coming from and the real need to give parents choices in the education of their children. Because Gaelscoileanna all across the country have become very popular in the past number of years, particularly in the Dublin region, there is probably a need to develop further from the current position. Regarding the Minister's commitment on the demographic demands, as he outlined, he has met the school principal and they are looking to re-examine the demographic pressures in the catchment area. As Deputy Rock said, this is now on the way. I hope there will be a greater response to his question in the future and that the Minister will be able to fill him in on time as the weeks go on.

Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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There is a clear acknowledgement of the future pressures that might build up here. The work the Minister, Deputy Bruton, is doing in general is encouraging, but it is great to see in this specific case that he and the Department are planning for the future and considering this in a holistic, cohesive manner. The Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, would be familiar with the great groundswell of enthusiasm for the Irish language which is building right across the State, certainly within Dublin. Dublin South-Central and Dublin North-West have become areas of great groundswell for the language. I appreciate the Minister of State's honest response to the question and thank her for it.