Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

First, to reply to Senator Ó Clochartaigh's question, there is no formal appeals process in place, and there never has been. However, there is the opportunity, as was evident this morning, to interact with not only the Minister but also the officials in the building unit in Tullamore to continue to make the case for a new school building for Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh. However, there is no formal appeals process to which the board of management can gain access.

With regard to evidence, speaking from my knowledge of how this list was drawn up, the building unit of the Department of Education and Skills in Tullamore now has access to Department of Social Protection records for child benefit and it can establish how many children in an area such as Knocknacarra or its immediate environs or even the entire western side of Galway city will need access to a classroom or school in the next few years. It knows where each child is and when the child was born. On that basis it has carried out extensive research which led it to conclude that new primary schools will be needed on both the western and eastern sides of the city.