Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as ucht an issue seo a chur os ár gcomhair.

As the Senator knows, in order to plan for school provision and to analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas.It uses a geographic information system which facilitates the analysis of data from a range of sources, including CSO census data, child benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.

As part of the demographic demand analysis, the Department also factors in planning and construction activity in the residential sector. This involves the analysis of data sources from local authorities and the CSO, along with engagement with local authorities. This ensures that schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes at local level, where the picture can quickly evolve due to planned new residential development.

The 2023 demographic exercise indicates that 79% of the 314 school planning areas at primary level show static or decreasing enrolments for the period to 2027 compared with 2022. At post-primary level, some 78% of school planning areas are anticipated to have increased enrolments for the period to 2030, with most expected to reach a peak within the next two or three years.

The Department also conducts granular analysis below the level of a school planning area, particularly where a school planning area encompasses both high-growth urban settlement areas and a more rural hinterland, which might be similar to Gorey and Arklow. The analysis of school place demand in urban areas experiencing high population growth has indicated that demand in the urban area can be 10% to 20% higher than the school planning area as a whole.

To ensure alignment of school provision with roll-out of additional residential development, the Department liaises with all 31 local authorities in respect of the county development plans and any associated local area plans with a view to identifying any potential long-term school accommodation requirements across school planning areas. The Department engages with all consultation phases of these plans to ensure that there is an adequate amount of appropriately zoned and suitably located sites for future school place provision and that they are in line with objectives as identified in the national planning framework. Department officials made 61 submissions in respect of county development plans and local area plans in 2023. In addition the Department is awaiting updated regional population projections data from the national planning framework review; this will future inform future school place requirements.

In the context of Gorey and Arklow, the towns referenced by the Senator, there are a number of live school capital projects which will provide additional capacity that will assist in meeting the future demand for school places.