Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 399: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if, in view of the population forecast for the Killucan-Rathwire area of County Westmeath, she will expedite the proposed extension of a school (details supplied) in County Westmeath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22996/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Department does not have an application for an extension from the school to which the Deputy refers. However, a new planning model for educational infrastructure was recently introduced to ensure that in future school provision will be decided after a transparent consultation process. In this regard, trustees, parents, sponsors of prospective schools and all interested parties from a locality will have the opportunity to have their voices heard in the process.

The main feature of the new model, being introduced initially on a pilot basis in five specific areas, is the publication of a draft area development plan which will set out a blueprint for education infrastructure in a particular area into the future. The components of the draft area development plan are: details of existing primary and post-primary provision; examination of the demographics of the area; commentary on the data; and recommendations for the area into the future.

Following publication of each draft area development plan, the commission on school accommodation will conduct a public consultation process to which all interested parties can make submissions. All of these submissions will be published. The process in each case will culminate in the publication of a final area development plan against which all capital funding decisions will be made over the next decade.

The needs of the school to which the Deputy refers are being considered through the process outlined because it forms part of one of the pilot area development plans. The commission on school accommodation has completed the public consultation process for this particular plan and it hopes to be in a position to publish its final report shortly.