Written answers

Thursday, 4 May 2006

Department of Education and Science

Schools Building Projects

5:00 pm

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 206: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if, in the context of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, she will consider allowing developers to provide funding for new schools as part of their contribution to the Part V provision; if there are any examples in the greater Dublin area of funding having been provided by this route; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16707/06]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 207: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will report on the procedure involved in terms of planning for additional housing demand and the necessity to provide additional schools to meet that demand within the greater Dublin area; the role of her Department in terms of consulting with local authorities in Dublin in relation to this matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16708/06]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 208: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the total number of sites in the ownership of her Department in the greater Dublin area and their location, which have still to be developed as primary or secondary schools in the school building programme; the total number of new schools which plan to be developed over the next five years within the greater Dublin area; and their location; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16709/06]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 206 to 208, inclusive, together.

Allowing developers to provide funding for new schools as part of their contribution under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 is a matter for my colleague the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. I can inform the Deputy, however, the provisions of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, as they currently stand, do not place any onus on developers to provide school sites other than at market rates. I am keeping an open mind as to whether legislative change might be of assistance or prove the best way forward here. In this regard, my Department has commenced exploratory discussions with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. I would remind the Deputy, however, that any changes in this area would require careful consideration on a number of fronts not least the constitutional right to property but also the implications for social housing requirements.

With regard to planning future provision, the general process of assessing and planning for the need for additional provision at primary or post-primary level in any given area entails consideration of all relevant factors, including enrolment and demographic trends, housing and other developments and the capacity of existing schools to meet the demand for places.

My Department is included among the prescribed authorities to whom local authorities are statutorily obliged to send draft development plans or proposed variations to development plans for comment. As a matter of course meetings are arranged with local authorities to establish the location, scale and pace of any major proposed developments and their possible implications for school provision.

Officials in the School Planning Section of my Department are strengthening contacts with local authorities to enable informed decisions to be made in planning future educational provision. For example, a specific forum, the Dublin School Planning Committee, chaired by officials of my Department, interacts with the Dublin local authorities. This forum comprises representatives of the local authorities in Dublin together with representatives of the Patron bodies of primary schools and works proactively in monitoring demographic changes and their likely impact.

Over and above this, as the Deputy will be aware, a new area based approach to school planning is being pursued by my Department. This involves a public consultation process and published area development plans which form a blueprint for schools' development in an area for a 10 year timeframe.

Specifically with regard to rapidly developing areas in Dublin, my Department is maximising the use of existing school facilities by providing extensions where site capacity allows along with the provision of new schools on Greenfield sites. This year alone, I authorised six primary school extensions, one post primary extension and six new primary schools to enter architectural planning in Dublin. This level of development is planned to continue with site negotiations at advanced stages for other school projects. There are 2 sites in the Dublin area in the ownership of my Department that have yet to be developed. One of these is at Kingswood Heights, Tallaght for a post primary school and the other site is in Rathcoole, Co. Dublin for a primary school. My Department is pursuing an ongoing programme of site acquisitions for school building purposes in many locations throughout the country including the Dublin area.

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