Ivana Bacik (Independent)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, to the House and thank him for taking this matter. My question to the Minister for Education and Skills, which was timely given the announcement today of the Minister's action plan in response to the advisory group on the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector, was specifically on the provision of additional multidenominational school places in the Portobello area in Dublin 8 on the basis of recommendation A4, which is at page 61 of the report of the advisory group on patronage and pluralism. It recommended that where significant demand for a new school type has already been evidenced, a building should be made available by the Department of Education and Skills from existing school stock as soon as possible.

The Portobello Educate Together group, of which I am chair, has already demonstrated significant demand for a new school type in our area. We have 637 members, a total of 409 children pre-enrolled for school between 2013 and 2016, and parents who are clamouring for additional multidenominational school places in our area, even for this year. We hope to see a new multidenominational school established in our area by September 2013.

I am delighted that in today's announcement the Minister has accepted the recommendations of the advisory group. I am pleased to see that his action plan sets out a clear timetable for the carrying out of transfer or divestment of patronage in primary schools where parents and local communities require it but I am anxious that in our area we would see change earlier than envisaged in the Minister's timeline because we have already demonstrated a clear and unchallengeable need for the provision of more multidenominational school places in our area.

Our area is one of the 44 areas designated by the Minister in his response today as requiring a survey of parental demand to establish whether greater diversity of patronage is required but we have already established that requirement. We have established that parents in our area require greater diversity of provision of school type and that we fit precisely within recommendation A4 of the advisory group, which was that the Minister should proceed immediately to provide new school space where the demand has been established. In other words, it should not go into the timeline provided for the surveying of parents in particular areas.

I ask whether any progress has been made. I understood that our area was a pilot area for transfer or divestment and that progress had been made. Has the Minister of State anything to report in terms of that progress?