Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am familiar with the school. Every by-election brings strangers to a constituency and one ends the campaign as an expert on every back alley and lane. I know the school and church well. I am glad for the Senator's illumination of the opportunity to build a decent school. There is no question about the unsatisfactory nature of the existing school and I concur with everything that he has said. I have received representations from other public representatives in Donegal about the school.

My problem, quite honestly, is the following. We are blessed with a growing population. However, I will not be blessed if the children born this morning are in four years' time looking into a field and not a school yard, even if it all is covered in concrete and littered with prefabs and substandard buildings. I shall put on the record the related figures. The pupil enrolment is currently about 515,000 in primary and 361,000 in secondary. That figure, combined together, is expected to grow by 100,000 between 2012 and 2019. In other words, an additional 70,000 pupils at primary level and another 30,000 pupils at post-primary level. Enrolment will continue to rise at post-primary level up to the year 2024 at least. I have heard what the Senator has said.

With regard to additional moneys in terms of the capital programme, buildings were taken off the capital programme, including this project, primarily due to analysis of the demographic growth of the area. There was no dispute about the necessity for a replacement building. If the population was static and in no way dynamic, or not exerting additional demand, then we had to reprioritise the school. When I introduced the five-year capital programme the dominant criterion, and there was more than one, was population growth. I will examine the case as requested by the Senator and I shall see where it is in that context. I cannot give him any indication tonight.