Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I am somewhat disappointed that I have not received a hard copy of it but I am sure it will be circulated or I will get one later.

The Minister of State said there is no identified requirement for additional school places. This is the issue and problem. Moycullen has always sent its students to Galway city because there has been no other option. A small number of students go to An Spidéal and a small number to Oughterard. The population is continuing to grow and people have to pay the added cost of bus tickets into Galway city to attend the secondary school, a distance of 6, 7 or 8 miles, depending on the family's location in the parish. That is not fair.

I ask the Department to look again at the growth projections because I believe they underestimate the levels of development and planning permission and, as I said, the capacity for growth in the community. It is only going to go in one direction and we need to plan now to ensure there will be a secondary school in Moycullen. I ask the Minister of State to re-engage with the local authority and local politicians to assess and discuss the need for a secondary school in the area.