Gay Mitchell (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 790: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason restrictions have been placed on a new school (details supplied) in Dublin 10 from accepting pupils in the forthcoming academic year allowing for only two of the 16 available classrooms to be used, as it may be another seven years before all classrooms will be used; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10723/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The school to which the Deputy refers is scheduled to open in September 2006. When fully occupied, the school will operate as a two-stream 16-classroom school. Normally, a new school only enrols junior infants in its first year of operation to enable it to develop incrementally. This incremental development ensures that a shortage of accommodation at the school is avoided by an over-enrolment in the early stages and crucially, that the enrolments and staffing levels in other schools in the area, where older pupils would inevitably be drawn, are not adversely affected.

As an exceptional matter in the case in question, however, a decision has been taken to allow the school to enrol both junior and senior infants in September 2006. My Department is liaising with the management authority of the school in this regard. This decision was made because of the type of facilities which the school is providing.

My Department is otherwise satisfied that, in accordance with its remit, the totality of the primary accommodation available in the area provides sufficient places to cater for all those seeking places.