Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. I thank Senator Clune for raising the matter as it provides me with an opportunity to clarify the current position concerning the building of a new Educate Together school in Carrigaline, County Cork.

The Senator may find it helpful if I set out the context within which decisions relating to meeting the accommodation needs of schools must be considered over the coming years. Total enrolment is expected to grow by around 70,000 students between now and 2018 - that is, by more than 45,000 at primary level and 25,000 at post primary level. To meet the needs of our growing population of school-going children, the Department must establish new schools as well as extending or replacing a number of existing schools in areas, including Carrigaline, where demographic growth has been identified. The delivery of these new schools, together with extension projects to meet future demand, will be the main focus of the Department's budget in the coming years.

The five-year programme which the Minister announced on 12 March, will provide more than 100,000 permanent school places, of which more than 80,000 will be new school places. The remainder will be the replacement of temporary or unsatisfactory accommodation. Carrigaline Educate Together school is, fortunately, included in the five-year programme to go to construction in 2014-15 for the provision of a new school. The Department of Education and Skills has previously reached agreement with Cork County Council to acquire a suitable site for the new school, subject to planning permission being secured. I am sure the Senator is aware that earlier this week Cork County Council granted planning permission for the proposed new school building. Now that planning is secured the acquisition of the site will be completed. Department officials will continue to engage with the school authorities regarding the progression of the project.

I thank the Senator again for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the current situation regarding that building project for Carrigaline Educate Together school. It is envisaged that a certain number of projects will be delivered each year in the five-year programme. The design and planning process to bring about that has now been set in motion. It would be difficult to move any schools around within that structure. For example, the schools to be delivered next year are now being managed by the design and planning unit in Tullamore. There is a bundle of schools that are now going through that process.

Next year, we will move into the schools that will be delivered the following year, which will include Carrigaline. One can expect therefore that progress will happen. In case there is any doubt in the minds of the Senator, the board of management, parents and pupils of the school in Carrigaline, it is most certainly the intention of the Minister to deliver on every project in the five-year programme within the five-year timeline.