Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Deputy Ciaran Cannon, to the House.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for attending. I raise a very important issue concerning which I am not sure the Department is fully apprised. The balanced patronage of our schools is a topical issue and was discussed in some detail in the Seanad yesterday. It is also an emotive issue. Equally important is the right of all parents to send their children to a school of their choice. As important, and above all of that, is the need to ensure there are sufficient places for children in our primary school system. We have had too many disasters throughout the years where there was a lack of places, including in my constituency, County Meath. Six years ago there was the so-called Laytown schools crisis and I swore that I never wanted to see the likes of that again. However, I fear it is happening in Ashbourne. I wrote about this situation to the Minister, Deputy Quinn, more than a month ago but he has not replied. I pointed out that I was only writing such a letter because of the seriousness of the situation. I have raised this matter on the Adjournment because I received no reply to my letter.

An issue has arisen in recent weeks in the town of Ashbourne where 120 parents came together at a public meeting. Most of these parents have no place for their child to begin primary school next September. Most of the parents at that meeting were campaigning for a place in a school with a Catholic ethos but there did not seem to be places in any school. It is a case of more questions than answers. They want to know will there be places for their children to begin school next September and will they be educated in a school with a Catholic ethos.

Up to now, Ashbourne had two mainstream Catholic schools and a Catholic gaelscoil. One would have thought the addition of an Educate Together and a multi-denominational gaelscoil would be the answer to the issues of school places and of diversity. However, this has not proved to be the case, according to parents. The reality is that a major flaw in the Department's approach to this issue is that no surveys have been conducted to ascertain the preferences of parents for the type of education they want. No information has been given to parents as to how the Department of Education and Skills decides the number of places required in the primary school system year on year.

I understand one of the Catholic schools applied to expand to allow children attend the school of choice but this expansion was refused by the Department. I understand some of the other schools are not happy with this expansion but it would have solved the problem and in my view, it would not have impacted on either of the two new schools proposed for Ashbourne this year.

I understand from media reports that the Minister has refused to meet Oireachtas Members from County Meath, including myself. However, this news has not been communicated to me in writing. I have had no response to correspondence from the Minister on what I regard as a very serious issue. I was heavily involved in the Laytown schools crisis and I criticised my own Government at the time in order to have the issue resolved. Therefore, when I raise a similar issue, I think it should be taken seriously in the Department because I would not raise it if I did not regard it as a serious issue.

It is a poor decision by the Minister not to meet local Oireachtas Members as it flies in the face of openness and transparency. I ask the Minister of State to confirm the Department's plans to deal with the issue of children without school places. I ask him to inform the House about the Department's policy on the ethos of schools it funds. I ask if any research has been undertaken with regard to the policy so that there is an informed choice. It is wholly unfair to force parents to send children to schools with an ethos to which they do not subscribe. Parental choice and parental support for new school patronage schemes are absolutely necessary in any new system.

As regards Catholic education, it should be noted that the increase in the Catholic population of County Meath in the period from the 2006 census to the 2011 census, is twice the overall figure for those with no religion. We should not overlook the majority when it comes to a question of choice. The Government is proposing to establish an Educate Together school and a multi-denominational gaelscoil in Ashbourne and this is to be welcomed. However, there seems to be a substantial cohort of parents, enough to make up one or two classes, who want a Catholic education for their children and this is being denied to them. In my view, this goes against the spirit of choice and diversity and respect for each and every child.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. I thank the Senator for raising the matter as it affords me the opportunity to outline to the House the current position regarding school provision in Ashbourne.

As the Senator will be aware, in June of last year the Minister announced that 20 new primary schools and 20 new post-primary schools would be established over the next few years to meet our increased demographics. Of these new schools, two primary schools were to be established in Ashbourne, one in 2011 and another in 2012 and one post-primary school was to be established in Ashbourne in 2014. The need for additional primary school provision in Ashbourne was identified through detailed analysis earned out by the forward planning section of the Department, using both enrolment data and the demographic trends in the area.

Prior to September 2011, there were three primary schools in Ashbourne town, all under Catholic patronage. During 2010 and 2011, the Department had been examining the question of increasing the number of primary school places in Ashbourne to cater for the expected increase in enrolments. As part of that consideration the Department consulted with the patron of the three Catholic schools regarding extending the capacity of those schools. The patron indicated that following local consultation in Ashbourne the consensus was that the parish should not be involved in further primary school provision in the area.

The Department then put in place an application and patron selection process for the establishment of new schools to cater for increasing demographics in Ashbourne. Applications for patronage of the new schools were received from An Foras Pátrúnachta and from Educate Together, both of which are well established national patron bodies. Following consideration of these applications, approval was given for the commencement of a new gaelscoil which opened in September 2011 and a new Educate Together school which will open in September 2012. Both patron bodies proposed to establish multi-denominational schools in response to parental wishes. Given that all existing schools in the town were Catholic in ethos, the provision of multi-denominational schools would increase diversity and parental choice in the area and approval was given for the establishment of these new schools on that basis. With the commencement of the two new primary schools in Ashbourne, there will be capacity for at least seven junior infant classes across the five schools in Ashbourne for September 2012. Five of these junior infant classes will be provided in schools with a Catholic ethos and at least two will be provided in schools with a multi-denominational ethos. Apart from significantly increased capacity in the local primary schools, the parents in Ashbourne now have greater choice than ever before in the range of primary schools available to them for their children.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State has thrown a spanner in the works as regards the situation in Ashbourne. His response will probably cause fear in Ashbourne. At least seven streams of junior infants classes are required and the Minister of State says that at least two will be provided in schools with a multi-denominational ethos. People had understood there were at least two streams in one of the multi-denominational schools and there is also a multi-denominational gaelscoil. This response will sow complete confusion among parents and it is unacceptable. It illustrates my point that the Department does not seem to know what it is doing. The Minister of State has not answered my question as to whether there are sufficient places in Ashbourne. In fact, he has cast doubt on whether there will be sufficient places and he has not provided any information as to how it was decided that parental choice would be expressed in the provision of these two schools. In my opinion, the Educate Together and multi-denominational school are required because there will be a demand for such schools and this is also the case with regard to the multi-denominational gaelscoil. However, there is no doubt there is a demand for more Catholic education but the reply does not deal with this fact. I ask if the Department knows what it is doing with regard to Ashbourne.

I advised the Minister in writing one month ago that he should take this situation very seriously or he would have another Laytown on his hands. It does not seem to me that he is taking it seriously. I do not want to have children without school places in September and this situation needs to be clarified as soon as possible by means of a public statement from the Minister.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The Senator seeks clarification regarding the statement which I read on behalf of the Minister. Is it the case that seven junior infants classes will not sufficiently cater for the group of young children entering primary school for the first time in Ashbourne this year? Is it the case that there will be a requirement for more than seven junior infants classes?

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I am not convinced that the research has been done to make that absolutely certain. I attended a meeting of 120 parents and most of them did not have a place for their child for this September. We were informed by the representative of Educate Together who is doing great work and who also attended the meeting that they had allocated 30 places and they expected to open another classroom. My point is that nobody had any certainty nor does the reply read by the Minister of State provide certainty. I do not know the exact number of places required but it seems neither does the Department and this is worrying.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The Department uses existing enrolment and the demographic data gained through the GIS system using DSP records. This will show the number of children of varying ages from zero to school-going age. The Department uses this data to plan for primary school provision and also for post-primary provision in the area. I can only conclude that the Department has used that data to determine what is sufficient capacity in junior infants classes across Ashbourne next September and that it will have apportioned those places across the whole school-going population in order to serve the needs of those who wish to attend schools with a Catholic ethos and those who wish to attend schools with a multi-denominational ethos. If the Senator is saying that in his opinion more children will turn up than can be accommodated in the seven infant classes last year, I am willing to take on board that concern on his behalf and seek clarification from the forward planning unit.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State should not forget the second issue, that of patronage, which is very important for many parents.