Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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I am very privileged and proud to represent the people of the constituency of Dublin Fingal West. We are a very young constituency, one that is growing and expanding. We are also a constituency and a community that faces many challenges. I get that some of the challenges cannot be foreseen. I do not blame the Government for things that are outside its control. However, there is nothing more certain that on the day when a child is born, in approximately five years' time that child will need a place in a primary school, and that same child on their first day in primary school will need a place in secondary school when they leave. Nothing I am about to tell the Minister of State was unpredictable. In no way, shape or form was the Government blindsided by the population growth in north County Dublin. In fact, it has been more than well flagged.

I raised this issue previously. There is a young child in my constituency by the name of Kaylen, who needs to be in an ASD unit. His mam has contacted 12 schools and had 12 refusals. There is another case of a family which is moving to Balbriggan. They have three children, two of whom have places. One of their kids is due to go into sixth class, but he cannot get a place. They have tried every school. They are waiting to hear back from one and we all have our fingers crossed. They are being asked now if perhaps the child would consider going into fifth class. They are being told that the sixth class in the school is over the limit prescribed by the Department. In fact, five kids would have to leave to make a space for this child. It is really frustrating.

Every single year I have parents in my office on these issues. I often wonder why my constituency colleagues do not have offices that are open to the public most of the time and then I understand when I see hard cases come in the door because people are at their wits' end. They do not want to be coming to their local TD, they just want their kids to have a place in school. That should be something fairly basic.

I am just off the phone to Councillor Malachy Quinn, who is just out of his clinic. A woman who was in with him has applied to 15 schools and still does not have a place. When I was first elected here, nine years ago, the scramble for school places usually did not start until in or around Easter, but now it is starting earlier. The Minister of State is nodding because he knows that is the case. It is the same in his constituency office. It is starting earlier every year.

We have some unique features in north County Dublin, which is that if we expand the capacity for schools there, the population to meet that is coming up. It is not the case that we might add an extra prefab and there will not be any need for it in a couple of years' time. We have a steady pipeline.

Rush National School has been waiting for a new school building for 18 years. Eighteen years ago the population was a fraction of what it is today. The population in Rush has increased tremendously and yet it is still left waiting. There has been delay after delay for 18 years. I could paper the walls here with the announcements made by my former constituency colleagues from the Government benches about this school. It was announced, re-announced and announced again that the new school building was coming. Perhaps the Minister of State will be able to provide me with some details in regard to it.

Will the Minister of State confirm that every single school in my constituency that can accommodate additional places will be facilitated with the resources and the backing of the Department to do just that?

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy O'Reilly very much for the question about additional school places in Fingal West. I thank her for raising this matter, which gives me the opportunity to set out to the Dáil the position with regard to a shortfall of school places at both primary and secondary levels in Fingal West.

It is an absolute priority to ensure that every child in the State has access to a school place. The Department of Education is continually planning for and investing in existing and new schools to ensure this is the case. The annual enrolment process for new junior infants at primary level and new first years at post-primary level is a very large-scale operation that is transacted at close to 4,000 schools throughout the country, involving some 140,000 pupils.

Enrolment pressures can be driven by duplications of applications, applications from outside an area, and school-of-choice factors. Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested more than €5.7 billion in schools throughout the country, involving the completion of more than 1,150 school building projects and with construction under way at approximately 300 other projects, which includes 40 new school buildings. The 300 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of more than €1.3 billion. The Department has invested more than €1.3 billion in school infrastructure in County Dublin over the period since 2020.

With regard to Fingal West, there are a number of active projects at primary and post-primary levels in progress, which will increase capacity. These projects include a new school building project for St. Molaga's National School in Balbriggan, which will provide 19 mainstream classrooms and two special education classrooms. The project is currently at stage 3 - procurement. In addition, there is a new school building project under way for Rush National School, which will provide 32 mainstream classrooms and two special education classrooms. The project is at construction stage. A project was also recently completed for Rush and Lusk Educate Together National School, providing a brand new, state-of-the-art 16-classroom school and two special education classrooms.

At post-primary level, there is a project under way for St. Joseph's Secondary School in Rush, which will provide accommodation for 1,000 pupils plus four special education classrooms.

This project is currently at stage 2b. There is also an extension under way at Balbriggan Community College to provide for a long-term projected enrolment of 1,000 pupils, with two special education classrooms. A project was also completed recently for Lusk Community College. This provided accommodation for a long-term projected enrolment of 1,000 and two special education classrooms.

Nationally, Ireland has been experiencing growth in overall post-primary enrolment, and this is projected to continue in many parts of the country for the coming years before declining. However, first-year enrolments are expected to be found to have peaked nationally in the 2023-24 school year. They will begin to decline from this year. At primary level, there is generally good capacity across the country, although there are some areas under continuing demographic pressure. While there can be enrolment pressures in some areas experiencing significant demographic growth, at both primary and post-primary level there is school accommodation capacity either in or near all areas of the country. To assist with the enrolment of children without a school place, the Department shares information on available capacity with the education welfare service, which is part of Tusla's educational support service and which operates under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention.

My Department has put in place a number of measures to support post-primary schools in managing and effectively co-ordinating their admissions processes. These measures include improvements to the post-primary online database student registration system to help identify students who have accepted multiple places, writing to parents of sixth class children with advice on the admissions process, including Fingal West, and strengthening the data-sharing arrangements with schools in areas of enrolment pressure.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for the reply. He spoke about some of the pressures being created, such as those caused by the duplication of applications. I have sympathy for parents who make duplicate applications, particularly because they feel they have no choice. When they come into my office, we have a conversation and talk about what they are doing. They are being told by the schools to collect their refusals and then lodge a section 29 appeal. That is really stressful. This is for something very basic, namely a school place for their child. They are not looking to go to space. It is just something very simple and very basic that a decent, functioning society, led by a similar government, would be able to provide.

What am I to advise parents to do now? Am I just to tell them to collect their refusals and appeal under section 29? Will there be communication from the Department? The schools are writing to the Department and I am the parents' last port of call. They try everything else before they come to me. They have already been through all the steps. Maybe the Minister of State can tell me what I am supposed to say to them. They understand the point about duplicate applications and the demographic pressures and that if there are only 20 seats in a classroom, only 20 kids can go into it. However, they are concerned about what seat their child will sit in and what place will be available for their child. It is incredibly stressful. The Minister of State knows what kids are like. They all talk about the secondary school they will be going to, or, if they are in the naoínra, the primary school. Far too many children are going home to their parents asking them where they will be going to school. The parents do not know, which really causes them a great deal of stress. They do not know whether their children will have to get transport. They cannot make plans. Very often in my constituency, both parents will be working and commuting long hours to get to and from work. They need some certainty.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy mentioned someone waiting for an ASD class. Since I was appointed just over four weeks ago, we have had considerable engagement with senior officials in the Department and the National Council for Special Education to ensure sufficient places for children with additional needs come September. We have moved the discussion back from one later in the year. Our aim is to move it back further to have certainly for all children, particularly those with additional needs. Families are under enough pressure. I am working with the officials in the Department, and I feel very strongly about this matter. Like every other Deputy, I have met the parents and know the challenges and issues that exist.

On school places, we understand that huge population growth is taking place in Fingal West. We also know there are issues with getting school places. The important thing is that the parents continue to engage with the school authorities. The Department is constantly monitoring where the pressures are to try to address this. It is a fact that the Department, together with school communities the length and breadth of the country, is going to work might and main to ensure every child has a proper place, be it at primary or secondary level, come September. The information needs to be with parents and children much earlier in the school cycle.