Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

I call on the Minister for Education and Science to outline a timeframe for the delivery of the proposed second level school for south Lucan, based on lands at Kishogue Cross, which the Department has agreed to in its submission to South Dublin County Council on the variations for the Clonburris local area action plan. I am glad to have the opportunity to raise this issue today and to ask the Minister of State to confirm that the Minister has agreed to this secondary school and to outline the timeframe for its development.

I welcome the change of heart by the Minister and her Department on this matter. I first raised this issue some time ago on the Adjournment and through parliamentary questions. I thank Deputy Brian O'Shea who raised it as a Priority Question with the Minister for Education and Science, which was when we began to see a chink of light on the issue. The attitude of the Department at that time was that the need for such a school had not been fully established. I am glad to see the Minister and her Department now realise this is not the case.

The figures and the statistics that have been put forward by the Lucan south secondary school action group highlight very clearly the need for the school in this rapidly growing area. The statistics that have been gathered by parents must impress the Minister because they are better than those the Department had on its files when this matter was first examined. I commend the action group consisting of local parents for its enthusiasm, determination and absolute commitment to obtaining a school for a rapidly growing area that has been ill-served by infrastructure, despite many houses being built in the region.

I cannot over-emphasise the stress that has been caused to families unable to plan ahead because they do not know which school their children will be enrolled in. I do not believe we would have reached this point if parents had not taken this matter into their own hands and collected the statistics and figures that create a compelling case to be put before the Department.

It appears the Department has agreed to the need for such a school for the area and that it could be located on lands at Kishogue Cross. This was stated in a submission to South Dublin County Council on variations to the Clonburris local area plan. The council will examine this next week. I ask the Minister to take the essential next step in setting down a timeframe for the delivery of such a school because only by doing this can parents plan and can the local community have confidence that this will happen. For far too long the request for a second level school was ignored by the Department and I hope this has been rectified. I look forward to hearing what the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, Deputy Seán Haughey, has to say on this matter.