Maria Corrigan (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach for giving me the opportunity to raise this very important matter on the Adjournment, namely, the provision of a secondary school for the area of Stepaside-Leopardstown. This area has grown in the past ten years from having a couple of hundred homes to one that now has in excess of 8,000 homes. It has four primary schools immediately within its environs and a further four immediately adjacent to it. It does not have any secondary school. Stepaside-Leopardstown is located within the Glencullen electoral area which itself lacks any public secondary school and this is a matter of great urgency.

A site for a secondary school, located in the village of Stepaside, was identified in 2000. I understand the Department has been examining this site with a view to commencing the secondary school. I would appreciate it if the Minister of State could give an indication of the timeframe. A phase is being entered now in which the children of the area are getting ready to leave primary school. Unless they have a secondary school to attend, there is a real likelihood they will commence a pattern of attending secondary schools outside the area and that pattern will persist for their sisters and brothers who will follow them. This would be in the interests neither of the community nor in building the kind of stable environment we have spent the past ten years developing.

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Corrigan for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the Seanad the Department's capital programme for 2008 and to outline the current position on the provision of a secondary school for the Leopardstown-Stepaside area. The Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, would like me to clarify that modernising facilities in approximately 3,200 primary and 730 post-primary schools is not an easy task, given the legacy of decades of under-investment in this area as well as the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth. Nevertheless, the Government has shown a consistent determination to improve the condition of school buildings and to ensure appropriate facilities are in place to support the delivery of a broad and balanced curriculum. The Government has dramatically increased investment in the school building programme from slightly more than €90 million in 1997 to almost €600 million this year. Under the lifetime of the national development plan, almost €4.5 billion will be invested in schools. This is an unprecedented level of capital investment which reflects the commitment of the Government to continue its programme of sustained investment in primary and post-primary schools.

As Senator Corrigan may be aware, a developing areas unit was set up in the Department of Education and Science to focus on the school accommodation needs of rapidly developing areas. The main emphasis in 2008 was on providing sufficient school places in these developing areas, as well as delivering improvements in the quality of existing primary and post-primary school accommodation throughout the country.

Officials from the planning and building unit of the Department of Education and Science have met Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council officials a number of times regarding the education infrastructure requirements across the county, particularly in the context of ongoing developments at Kilternan and Stepaside. It has been determined that if all the current planned developments in those areas reach completion, an additional 2,600 primary school places and up to approximately 2,000 post-primary places will be required in the general area.

In the course of examining the need for additional provision at post-primary level in the context of developments at Kilternan, Stepaside and Cherrywood, the Department has identified surplus capacity of approximately 1,100 places in the existing post-primary schools across the south Dublin area. However, as it has been determined that there will be a future requirement of up to approximately 2,000 post-primary places, the Department has requested the local authority to reserve two sites for schools in the relevant local area plans. The Department will continue to monitor the demand for post-primary school places in the area to ensure that any extra demand is met in a timely manner. The acquisition of suitable sites for school developments will be kept under review in this context.

I thank Senator Corrigan for providing me with the opportunity to address the House on this matter and to outline the current position.

Maria Corrigan (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his positive response. While I am pleased that the Department's identification of future need is in keeping with ours, will he ask the Minister for a timeframe for the provision of school places? Despite the surplus capacity identified in south Dublin, will he also convey to the Minister that, for the first time ever, young people have not been able to find school places this year? Each case must be followed up.

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate the Senator's ongoing interest in this matter. Given her hands on approach, it is important that the Minister discuss with her the question of whether the surplus capacity is as large as indicated in my response. I will convey her points to the Minister during our meeting tomorrow morning and I hope he will contact her as quickly as possible.