Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator. I will certainly do that. I am told the priority for the Department is to ensure there are places available for every student for the next school year and that it will continue to engage with patrons and school authorities in this regard. I completely agree with the Senator. I imagine the principals are working quite closely to ensure they do not have duplication of applications with confusion arising as a consequence.I do not represent that side of the country but I am aware of the scale of distance involved in being in a different school, parish or community and the disruption that would cause to a child in terms of developing friends in his or her area, in addition to the impact on family life. There are also the climate consequences of having to travel that distance. Therefore, I completely understand what the Senator is saying about the need to have a targeted campaign to establish exactly what provision is required and to meet that provision. As the Department has said, it is its priority to do so in advance of September 2023.