Barry Ward (Fine Gael)
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I dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Butler, as teacht anseo, cé nach bhfuil an t-ábhar seo ina Roinn féin. Táim an bhuíoch di go bhfuil sí anseo chun freagra a thabhairt dúinn. Baineann an cheist atá agam inniu leis an nGaeloideachas, go háirithe i mo cheantar féin i gCoill na Silíní. Is rud an-thábhachtach ar fad é an ceart atá ag daoine oideachas a fháil trí mheán na Gaeilge. Tá a fhios againn go bhfuil an-fhás tagtha ar Ghaelscoileanna ar fud na tíre le blianta anuas. Cé go bhfuil níos mó Gaelscoileanna ann, níl na Gaelcholáistí ann i roinnt ceantar sa tír do na leanaí atá ag dul ón mbunscoil go dtí an mheánscoil, go sonrach i gCoill na Silíní. In Cherrywood, in my own constituency, we have lots of Gaelscoileanna and lots of enthusiasm for Gaeloideachas among people who are availing of their right to be educated through Irish. However, they do not have places to go when they go to secondary school. Tá an t-ádh orainn go bhfuil dhá Ghaelcholáiste iontacha sa cheantar againn: Coláiste Íosagáin agus Coláiste Eoin. Tá an t-ádh orainn go bhfuil siad ann. Ag an am céanna, níl a dhóthain spásanna sna Gaelcholáistí do dhaltaí gach Gaelscoile chun freastal ar na Gaelcholáistí sin.

There is a problem with the way the Department manages the transition from primary school to secondary school, particularly when it is about Gaeloideachas . For example, the two Gaelcholáistí I have mentioned, Coláiste Íosagáin and Coláiste Eoin, do not necessarily take students from Gaelscoileanna first. In fact, parents tell me that in some instances they would be better off taking their child out of the local Gaelscoil - I am not referring to Scoil Lorcáin because it is a feeder school but to Gaelscoil Laighean, which used to be in Deansgrange and has now thankfully moved to a permanent site in Mount Anville - and putting them into a local English-language school to get access to the Gaelcholáistí in question. Ní féidir linn baint a bheith againn leis an mhéid sin.

Go háirithe agus go sonrach i gCoill na Silíní, tá suíomh ann. There is a site available in Cherrywood with planning permission on it for secondary school. I do not understand why the Department has not moved forward to identify what school is going to be built on that site. Everything is ready to go: there is a huge demand for a Gaelcholáiste in the area, there is a movement behind the idea that there would be a Gaelcholáiste, the permission is there and it is ready to be built. For some reason, there has been a delay in this process. Fiú go bhfuil daoine ann a bhfuil ag iarraidh Gaelcholáiste a bheith ar fáil dá bpáistí, níl an Gaelcholáiste ann.

In terms of the process for deciding the patronage of that school, it is very difficult to decide who should actually make that decision because na limistéir atá ar na ceantair oideachais, the educational catchment areas, are bizarre. It is very difficult to understand exactly where they begin and end because they do not follow any other area. There might be parents i gCoill na Silíní, Cherrywood, which is at the end of a Luas line. Parents who live right along the Luas line could very easily send their children to a secondary school in Cherrywood even though they live way outside the area.

Maidir leis an gceist sin ar phátrúnacht na nGaelcholáistí, ba cheart go mbeidh slí dhifriúil ann chun cinneadh a dhéanamh ar an gcineál pátrúnachta a bheadh ag an nGaelcholáiste sin. When we are dealing with a Gaelcholáiste, there has to be a different system for choosing how parents get to vote on whether that school is an Irish-language school. Mura ndéanfaidh an Roinn é sin, beidh fadhb ag na tuismitheoirí agus na páistí i mo cheantar féin mura bhfuil siad in ann dul go dtí Gaelcholáiste.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as ucht an cheist a ardú mar go dtugann sé deis dom an cás mar atá sé faoi láthair a shoiléiriú i dtaca le soláthar iarbhunoideachais i gCoill na Silíní. I would like to thank the Senator for raising the matter as it provides me with the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley, to clarify the current position relating to post-primary school provision in Cherrywood.

In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas. The Department uses a geographical information system that uses data from a range of sources, including CSO census data, child benefit data and school enrolment data to identify where the pressures for school places across the country will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.

Major new residential developments have the potential to significantly impact the demand for school places at a local level. In that regard, as part of the demographic demand analysis, the Department 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 proactive engagement with local authorities. In this way, up-to-date information on significant new residential developments is obtained and factored into the demographic analysis exercise. This is necessary to ensure that schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes at a local level, where there is a constantly evolving picture with planned new residential development.

The planned establishment of a new post-primary school in 2021 to specifically serve the Cherrywood SDZ, which is in the Sallynoggin, Killiney, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown school planning area, was announced in 2018 as a result of a countrywide demographic exercise.The announcement also provided for the establishment of two new primary schools to serve the Cherrywood SDZ area specifically. One of these two primary schools was designated as an Irish-medium Gaelscoil. Further analysis has since been conducted on the necessity for the establishment of the planned new schools, taking into account a number of factors, including the pace of delivery of the expected additional residential development in the Cherrywood area, associated enrolments and the capacity in existing schools in the school-planning area. The Department is satisfied that existing demand can be accommodated at present by the existing and growing schools in the school-planning area. As a result, the establishment of the planned new post-primary school and Irish-medium primary school has been deferred.

Since 2011, new arrangements have been put in place for the establishment of new schools involving the forecasting of demand for school places, based on demographic exercises carried out by the Department. New schools are only established in areas of demographic growth, as the resources available for school infrastructure have to be prioritised to meet the needs of areas of significant population increase to ensure that every child has a school place. These arrangements also give an opportunity for patrons to apply for the patronage of new schools. The criteria used in deciding on the patronage of new schools place a particular emphasis on parental patronage, language preferences and analysis of existing provision in the areas where the schools are being established. This approach is underpinned by a 2011 Government decision.

I would say the Seanadóir is very disappointed with the answer I have just given. I am sorry I had to deliver the bad news. I will be sure to bring back his comments to the Minister.

Barry Ward (Fine Gael)
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Tá an ceart ag an Aire Stáit - tá an-díomá orm leis an bhfreagra sin. Ní thuigim é, chun an fhírinne a rá. Tá a fhios againn go bhfuil daoine de shíor ag iarraidh Gaelcholáistí dá dteaghlaigh. An fhadhb eile atá ann ná, seachas Coláiste Iosagáin agus Coláiste Eoin, níl Gaelcholáiste ar fáil idir lár na cathrach agus Bré i gContae Chill Mhantáin. Ní thuigim in aon chor cén fáth an bhfuil an Roinn ag rá nach bhfuil siad chun leanúint ar aghaidh leis seo. Tá na tuismitheoirí agus na teaghlaigh atá ag iarraidh Gaelcholáiste scaipthe amach ar fud na cathrach. Caithfimid rud éigin a chur ar fáil dóibh.

If these households who seek the right to educate their children at secondary level in Irish are spread out across the city, it is very difficult to have a concentration of them in an area that will justify a secondary school. We know the demand is there and I am hugely disappointed by this response. I am not shooting the messenger but I really think the Department needs to reconsider this. The demand is there and if we build it they will come. We should be advancing Gaeloideachas wherever we can.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator. The Minister of State has one minute to respond. I would also like to welcome members of the Tipperary spina bifida association who have just joined us.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I would also like to welcome the Tipperary spina bifida association from my neighbouring county. It is lovely to have the representatives here and I hope they have a great day here in Leinster House with my colleague, Deputy Cahill. I will bring what the Senator has said back to the Minister. The Department has said that the pace of delivery of additional residential development in the Cherrywood area, along with updated enrolment data and demographic data, will be kept under review. This will inform the timing of school requirements in the area. I do take on board what the Senator is saying. Children who attend Gaelscoileanna at primary level who want the opportunity to continue their education in secondary school are the nub of the whole issue. I will certainly bring that back to the Minister.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. My apologies to Deputy Cahill, who I did not see over to my right. He is one of the hardest working Deputies that we have here and is very welcome. We turn now to the third matter which is in the name of Senator Mícheál Carrigy. I understand that the Minister of State is taking this Commencement matter also. Senator Carrigy has four minutes.