Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 733: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she intends to ensure that school sites are provided in line with the development and expansion of residential areas in County Meath; the action she has taken or proposes to take in order that such integrated development transpires; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26309/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The demand for additional accommodation in schools has risen significantly over the last number of years mainly due to the rapid expansion in teacher numbers particularly in the area of special needs, the growth in the school-going population in rapidly developing areas including the impact of inward migration and the demands to cater for diversity through the recognition of new Gaelscoileanna and Educate Together schools.

In planning for school provision to meet these demands my Department has adopted an area based approach which involves a public consultation process involving all interested parties. This leads to the production of a blueprint for schools' development in an area for a timeframe of approximately ten years. The exercise recently completed on the N4-M4 corridor is an example of this and the rapidly developing areas of north Dublin, south Louth and east Meath are being examined this year. This structured process will ensure a more proactive approach to school planning than had been the case in the past.

Apart from the area development planning process my Department is also proactively engaged with local authorities on a continual basis in relation to specific areas. This is being done through improved contacts and communication protocols to ensure that the Department is better alerted about new and expanding residential areas and afforded an opportunity to ensure appropriate zoning provision for educational purposes.

My Department prioritises school buildings for rapidly developing areas. This is achieved by assigning them a band one priority rating under the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects. Whenever possible, my Department implements a standardised design model or a design and build process to fast track delivery of the buildings themselves. Not alone does this result in speedier delivery of projects but it also achieves savings in design fees and land use arising from the use of the two storey design.

The level of work being done under the schools building programme is at an all-time high. While increased investment is a central reason for this — €500m this year alone — radical changes in how projects are planned and managed have also made a major difference in ensuring that provision is delivered in line with or ahead of demand.