Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for taking this matter. I am unsure as to whether he is familiar with the Meakstown area. It has grown considerably to over 3,000 units, with more on the way. It covers Charlestown, Lanesborough, Seagrave, Mayeston, Creston and Melville in the Fingal area and Hampton Wood in the Dublin City Council area. According to recent statistics, its population has increased by 15%. It has been in existence for nearly 18 years, and in that time no community centre, crèche, school, playing surface or playground has been provided. Even the main park has not been completed thanks to a dispute over a piece of land. The rates levied on the Charlestown shopping centre have run into the millions of euro over the centre's existence.

When I raised these matters with the planners in the early stages, I was told that all of the money had to be pooled to pay for facilities in other areas. This area has deliberately been built up with no infrastructure and the fees it has paid have been invested in other areas. That is scandalous and I have never heard of the like happening elsewhere.

More developments are being built in Charlestown, Creston, Lanesborough and Mayeston. Recently, Fingal County Council engaged in a local area plan and consulted residents. After years of being pressed by me, Councillor Philip Lynam, other public representatives and the residents themselves, we have managed for the first time to get the council to consult. In fairness, the new CEO is on board, but previous CEOs and others let us down badly in terms of planning.

The area development plan is broken. I call on the Minister and his officials to tell Fingal County Council that this is unacceptable and facilities must be put in place. The past has shown us that, if facilities are not put in place, we will end up with anti-social problems and other issues and the area will become run down. To build an area like Meakstown and not provide facilities is criminal, but that is how the area has been treated. It is unacceptable. Every requirement of proper planning has been contravened. The practice of pooling money and spending it elsewhere instead of on a new scheme - I am not just referring to small schemes, but large ones like new schools - makes no sense to me. It makes no sense to the Minister either. Will he explain to Fingal County Council through his officials that this situation is unacceptable and action is needed?

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Ellis for raising this matter. Like many of the issues that he raises, I sympathise with it, as I understand the pressure on growing areas and the difficulties that poses. However, questions of development fees being collected and applied to purposes other than local community facilities are more for the local authority than me as Minister for Education and Skills.

Regarding my Department's approach to such matters, we have 314 local planning areas. We examine the demographical statistics, enrolments at preschool level and so on in order to identify any upcoming need for schools. We are conducting such an analysis at the moment using fresh demographic data. As of today, however, the Department has not identified a need within the Ballymun-Finglas east planning area. Currently, there is an enrolment of 3,642 pupils in the area. As of today, the Department believes that the nine schools have the capacity to provide the necessary service. A fresh review is under way. In the event of it identifying a need, there will be a process to find a patron for any new school.

Regarding longer term planning where houses are being built, my Department has a protocol or code of practice in place with the local authorities for school provision so that land is reserved in the event of there being substantial population growth. As such, there is a capacity to identify and provide sites.

As of today, the Department reports that the existing schools in the neighbourhood, of which there are nine, have the capacity to meet the immediate demand for places so there is not a plan for a commitment to a construction project in this area at present.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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In the course of the local area plan consultation, people were asked to identify the problems in the area and everyone pointed to the lack of a community centre and education facilities, among other issues which I outlined. The situation is not good enough. This is a vast area and people are being told there is capacity at the other end of Finglas to deal with the population needs. The population is rising and more houses and apartments are being built.

I note what the Minister said about how he calculates what is needed in the area in terms of the building of schools but I do not accept it. There is an opportunity to build a multidenominational Irish or other school in the area. Such a school is badly needed. The area is vast and the public transport linkages are very poor and people must travel a distance to bring their children to school.

I urge the Minister to talk to the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Coveney. It is not good enough to build residential developments and not to put infrastructural facilities in place. I accept the responsibility of the Minister, Deputy Bruton, is education, but I would be grateful if he could ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to examine the issue with his officials and convey to the local authority in question, Fingal County Council, that in future, it must ensure proper facilities are put in place. Those facilities include schools. There is a need for schools in the area as there is a growth in population and more housing schemes are coming on-stream. There will be a deficit of school places in the future and the Minister must make provision for that. It is all well and good looking at statistics but when one is on the ground one sees the need and people tell us they need the facilities.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I understand the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Coveney, is currently consulting on a spatial strategy that considers the type of issues raised by Deputy Ellis, such as how we plan for growth in communities and ensure we do not have overpopulation in some areas and the run-down of facilities in others. There is an opportunity for that much broader point to be presented to the Minister in a very coherent way by the Deputy and the community he represents. I will convey the Deputy's concerns to the Minister, Deputy Coveney.

From an educational point of view, I am working hard to provide seats for 20,000 students every year based on proven need where existing schools simply do not have enough provision. The provision of 20,000 places exhausts 80% of the budget so it leaves me with very little scope for expansion beyond that. I am working hard to ensure that whenever a child comes out of preschool that there is a place for him or her. We do not build schools in advance on the basis that an area will have 10,000 houses in 20 years' time and we should start building the school now.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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We should do that.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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That is not the way it is done in the Department. We build on a just-in-time basis, to use the related commercial term for the way school facilities are delivered, and that exhausts our resources.

I assure the Deputy that we will examine planning in the area based on need and we will examine the demographic trends, the trends in preschools serving the area and assessing where that is heading and if there is a need for which we must begin to plan.