John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for his response. Band 2.2 effectively means that they are going nowhere fast, if my understanding of the banding system is correct. In his comments to the media, the parish priest mentioned the bias against rural schools. The assessment process outlined by the Minister of State is based on population growth, demographic trends, current and projected enrolments, recent and planned housing developments, and the capacity of the existing schools to meet demand. It seems that most priorities are for new school buildings in urban areas. That is understandable, given the recent housing developments around this city and other large urban areas. However, clearly the bias against small rural schools exists in the system. Maybe it is time that this is examined, in light of the fact that we will not have significant developments on the outskirts of towns, so that we can have fair and equal treatment for small national schools around the country like Ballinkillen.