Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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8. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which she remains confident she and her Department will be in a position to meet the full requirement of school places at primary and second level throughout Kildare North and the rest of the country on time for September 2024 enrolment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23853/24]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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This question seeks to ascertain from the Minister the extent to which she remains satisfied she can accommodate primary and secondary level schoolchildren throughout County Kildare and throughout the country in time for the enrolment next September. This is a very important time for children, and the indecision or doubt we had last September would not be a help if it were to reoccur.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post-primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs, is a priority for the Department. At a national level, Ireland has been experiencing growth in overall post-primary enrolments, and this is projected to continue in many parts of the country for the coming years before beginning to decline. However, first-year enrolments nationally are expected to have peaked in the current school year and will begin to decline from next year. At a national level, there are more than 10,000 more first year places available for 2024-25 than sixth class children.

Of course, there is significant regional and local variation in enrolment trends and projections, with residential construction activity one of the most significant influencing factors. This means that, even as enrolments nationally begin to decline, we can still expect to see increasing demand at primary and post-primary level in particular towns and areas in the country, and enrolment pressures may arise in a very limited number of school planning areas from year to year. This must be seen in the context of an annual enrolment process that caters for some 140,000 pupils at junior infants and first-year level and that, on the whole, transacts very smoothly. There are 314 school planning areas in the country, and typically only a small minority of these areas require follow-up engagement from the Department with schools and patrons to work through mainstream school place solutions for the following year.

More than €280 million has been invested in school infrastructure in County Kildare since 2020 alone, reflecting a strong focus on alignment of school place availability with the significant residential development across the county.

Our data show that in County Kildare overall, there are approximately 400 more first year places available for September 2024 than sixth class children. In nine of the 14 school planning areas in County Kildare, there are more first year places available for 2024-25 than sixth class children due to leave primary school. When school planning areas are clustered to take account of typical enrolment patterns, it can be seen that there are more first year places than sixth class children across each area in the county.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for her helpful reply and I acknowledge the tremendous investment in education in County Kildare in school buildings in particular and in improving standards generally. We all came through the time when it was not so. We are anxious to ascertain certain things. For instance, Mercy Convent in Naas appears to be completed in terms of building works, but is not. It is completed on the outside but not the inside.

The Minister kindly arranged for Oireachtas Members to meet with the planning section of her Department, wherein we learned a few things, some reassuring and some not. One was the disclosure that a climate element had to be applied to each school place requirement as we proceed, to the effect that some children were ushered into a school other than their local school, other than the school their siblings attended and other than the school their parents had attended. They felt they had a right to be heard. While we agree climate is important, the lives and education of children is equally important. The Minister understands that more than anybody else. We are anxious to help and for the Minister to help us.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is correct there has been significant investment in Kildare in the past four years. Whether it is new schools or extension of school accommodation, the Department has not been found wanting. I will request an update on the school the Deputy mentioned and ensure he receives it.

In the round, we are told there are 400 more places in the system for sixth class than is required. We are also reminded that first year enrolments will peak this year. Notwithstanding that, we are confident that where there is a need for places, those places will be provided. We continue to engage on the ground and, where schools have co-operated with us in sharing the data they have, we have found there is duplication and that people are coming from outside areas or whatever. We are working through them case by case and are confident we will deliver what is required.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I agree the Minister has given much time to ensuring the fastest possible delivery takes place and that accommodation needs and the needs of children in education are kept to the fore. St. Farnan's Post Primary School in Prosperous is another one we all thought would be well advanced by now but it is not.

I reiterate the point I made on the climate element. This is a red herring that has been drawn, though not by the Minister. It is a mistake made by somebody in terms of planning for the future. It is impossible to plan while that element is in place. Children have only a short time in education and their needs have to be met early, first and by no means last. If there is some regulation preventing that, it will cause a problem in the future, notwithstanding the good efforts of the Minister.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge the Deputy has a particular commitment to education and engages with me on an ongoing basis in relation to it. In the vast majority of areas, through the work of schools, their patron bodies, their management bodies and the Department of Education, there are sufficient school places available to meet the needs of children in the area for 2024-25. The Department is working with schools individually and collectively, and with their patrons, to make additional places available where required for 2024-25. While some applicants might not yet have received an offer of a school place, families can be assured young people in an area who require a school place will be provided with one. There will be greater clarity for families in the coming weeks as admissions processes continue to work through and the required additional places come on stream.