Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir. For school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a geographical information system to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including child benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity, is used for this purpose. Additionally, population and housing targets inform the Department's projections of school place requirements. Projections of post-primary school place requirements are informed by multiple factors, including primary school enrolments in the area and primary to post-primary transfer patterns.

The Department is aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional school places in Tyrrelstown. I am also aware of this pressure because some of the Senator's constituents contact me about school places in Meath East. Indeed, some of their children go to schools there. It is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, there may be a number of factors in play.The Department is working to establish the true extent of any capacity issues across school planning areas through ongoing discussions with school patrons and authorities. Where data indicate that additional provision is required at primary or post primary level, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may be provided through a number of methods such as utilising existing capacity, extending the capacity of existing schools or providing schools. The Department accepts the planning area of Mulhuddart-Tyrrelstown in Dublin 15 is an area of significant population growth. That is the Department's term for the school catchment area; the exact term is the school planning area. As part of forward planning, the Department has assessed school accommodation in the area.

School place requirements in the Mulhuddart-Tyrrelstown Dublin 15 school planning area, specifically the Tyrrelstown area, will continue to be kept under review. My advice to the Senator, having been involved in a number of situations in my constituency where this is an issue, is that the more information that can be submitted to the forward planning section from the Senator, parents and, in particular, school principals, the better.

By and large, the Department has done a very good job in the past number of years on forward planning. It always benefits from having more information. Having been involved in similar situations in Ashbourne, Dunshaughlin, Laytown and other areas, in all cases local school principals, in particular, were involved, along with politicians, who worked collaboratively to submit information and make sure the Department has the information that is required. As I said, the Department has, generally speaking, done a very good job. It has changed many of its practices. Information always helps and I encourage the Senator to supply it.