James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In the interest of fairness and equity, I hope the Leas-Chathaoirleach will extend to me the same latitude he showed the last speaker in terms of speaking time. I wish to raise an issue of great importance to thousands of parents around the country, particularly in Dublin and north Dublin. I refer to secondary school places for the next academic year, 2019-20. All Members will accept that in normal circumstances one would like to think that one’s child would be able to go to school along with his or her friends and continue those relationships in his or her own town.If not, on the rare occasion where that is not possible, one would hope that it would be within the catchment area of the town next door. I understand that currently this is not an option for the children of Rush, Lusk and Skerries who are in the same catchment areas, all of which have waiting lists. One has a waiting list of 102, and I am aware of another person who is nearly at No. 30 on the list. Even though we have a new secondary school in Lusk - and the second part of that is being completed - the school will still not be able to accommodate the amount of people who have applied to it. This issue is not just related to those three towns; there are also waiting lists in Balbriggan, a town which is booming with a huge increase in population, and in Swords.

I congratulate the outgoing Minister for all the work that was done in building new schools in Balbriggan. As I said, there is a new secondary school in Lusk, and a brand new national school also just completed; it is not that great work has not been done. Others have welcomed the new members of Government and I particularly mention the Minister, Deputy Joe McHugh, who takes over from the former Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton, who did such sterling work and not just in the Department of Education and Skills but also in the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. I am delighted that we have €196 million in the capital fund for next year.

We have also had some improvements with new autism spectrum disorder classes in Educate Together in Skerries. I am particularly concerned about the situation I have referred to, especially for the children of Rush, Lusk and Skerries. These children have fantastic teachers who get great results. They are given the best of education but in Rush in particular, the St. Joseph's secondary school needs a new building. There are prefabs now occupying a lot of the ground. I am aware that the school has submitted an application to the Department of Education and Skills, which is looking at the matter urgently. This is a request for new accommodation to accommodate the more than 100 children who have sought places there or next year.