Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Mary Hanafin. I thank Senator Nicky McFadden for raising this matter as it provides me the opportunity to outline to the House the broader actions being taken by the Department of Education and Science to identify and address the long-term educational needs of the Athlone area and the position in regard to the building project for Athlone Community College in particular.

In regard to Athlone generally, the school planning section of the Department has identified the town as an area of rapid development and, consequently, it is currently examining its future educational infrastructural needs at both primary and post primary level. The process of assessing the need for new or additional educational facilities in any given area entails consideration of all relevant factors, including enrolment and demographic trends, housing developments and the capacity of existing schools to meet the demand for places. Liaison with existing schools is also an important part of the process. In this way, every effort is made to ensure there is adequate existing provision and that timely arrangements are made to extend capacity or provide new infrastructure where necessary.

In addition, local authorities are obliged by statute to refer draft local area development plans to the Department for observation and comment so that lands can be zoned for future education use. There are numerous sites reserved for education purposes, particularly in the rapidly developing areas, under this process to ensure that there will be sufficient land set aside and available for the future development of education infrastructure. Over and above the statutory consultation provisions in regard to local authority draft area development plans, the Department of Education and Science has, in recent years, worked to strengthen contacts with local authorities to enable informed decisions to be made in planning future educational provision.

Senator McFadden may be aware that the programme for Government includes a commitment to establish a developing areas unit in the Department of Education and Science and I am pleased to inform her that this unit has now been established. It is located in Tullamore and forms part of the Department's planning and building division already based in that location. The unit will be solely dedicated to progressing school planning in rapidly developing areas building on improvements that have already been made in school planning in recent years. Staff in the unit will liaise with local authorities, identify where new schools are needed and ensure they are delivered in the fastest possible timeframe.

It is expected that the exercise being carried out for Athlone will be completed shortly and the outcome will be the blueprint for educational infrastructure in the area for the foreseeable future. Naturally, the type of exercise referred to takes take time and there are immediate needs which have to be addressed in tandem.

In this regard, a decision has already been taken to replace and expand the existing Athlone Community College. The new building, when complete, will cater for 1,000 pupils. The project has advanced to the point where schedules of accommodation have been drawn up. These were issued for observations to the Westmeath Vocational Education Committee and its response in this regard is being considered in the Department. Once the schedules are finalised the commencement of the architectural planning and design process will be considered under the multi-annual school building and modernisation programme. I thank the Senator again for raising this matter.