Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is welcome to the Chamber. I would like the Minister for Education to make a statement on plans to build a second post-primary school in Kinsale, which is a wonderful part of the world. History and geography have been very good to Kinsale over millions of years. It is a growing, thriving town. Its population has grown enormously over the last few years. In the 2016 census, the population of Kinsale had risen to 5,281. The county development plan states that by 2028 it is expected that the population of Kinsale will be 7,342. That is a significant growth. That growth is clear in all the current developments in Kinsale.

Not only is Kinsale thriving and building but the rural villages around it are also developing. Kinsale is our shopping, entertainment and also educational destination. When it comes to post-primary choice in our part of the world, we all feed into Kinsale. Pupils from schools in Dunderrow, Ballinadee, Ballinspittle, Belgooly, Minane Bridge, Nohoval, Kilbrittain and Ballyheedy go to Kinsale for post-primary school and there are another four primary schools in the town. It is amazing that there are 12 primary schools feeding into this post-primary destination of Kinsale. The town currently has only one post-primary school, which is a unique complex. There has been savage growth in the school over the last few years. While it is a high-class school, it is also the only one. Other towns have a similar population but more schools. Bandon is slightly bigger but has four post-primary schools. Carrigaline is significantly bigger and also has four post-primary schools. There is very much a need for choice. We need to plan ahead and take into consideration the projected growth in the county development plan and the growth in the villages around Kinsale. We need to strategically plan for educational infrastructure for Kinsale.

As I said, there have been major increases in Kinsale's post-primary capacity in the past few years. We now need to plan ahead for a second post-primary school for Kinsale. That is the key. We need plans so there is another destination that will complement the one we have. That is realistically what the town of Kinsale needs. It is very unusual to have such a population increase and not have a strategic plan in place for educational needs. It shows a lack of joined-up thinking in so many ways. The Department of Education must come up with a long-term vision for the town that incorporates the entire hinterland as well. That is the key issue here.

I hope we can start a debate this morning on a second post-primary school for Kinsale. We are going through a county development plan process and we can look at proposals to get land zoned. Even without the county development plan process, it would be appropriate to look at that school complex in a strategic and holistic way. We can start this debate and hopefully move forward and get plans in place for Kinsale so it can move forward in the future.