Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 355: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will meet a County Wexford group (details supplied) to address the urgent problem of access to second level schools in its area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6846/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Owing to diary commitments, I regret that I am currently unable to meet the group to which the Deputy refers. However, I will arrange for officials of my Department to meet the group again shortly to discuss its concerns.

The primary school in question is in the Kilmuckridge catchment area. An examination of enrolment trends in the catchment's post-primary school has been carried out by the school planning section for the purposes of ensuring that there is sufficient accommodation to cater for demand for pupil places. That examination revealed that enrolments have dropped by 12.8% in the past ten years. In the circumstances, the school planning section is satisfied that there is ample post-primary accommodation for the pupils in question in their own catchment area. A major refurbishment and extension project for the school, which has been approved to proceed to tender and construction in 2005, will provide it with state-of-the-art facilities for the foreseeable future.