Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 1407: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason parents are obliged to queue for days and nights outside a school (details supplied) in County Dublin at the beginning of every school year to ensure that their children get a school place; the number of new schools that are required in the Dublin and Leinster area; the steps she will take to address the shortage of school places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29808/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Officials in the School Planning Section of my Department have not been made aware of any shortage of places in post-primary provision in Swords.

My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking second level places. This may result in pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.

Swords is an area of population growth and while there may be a demand in future years for additional provision at post primary level, the Department is satisfied that, between them, the four existing post primary schools has adequate provision to cater for current demand. There is, therefore, no obligation on patents to queue for school places, this is done as a matter of choice — a point which has been reflected in media coverage.

Officials in the School Planning Section of my Department are carrying out a review of educational needs in the North Dublin/East Meath/South Louth area (including Swords) by way of a Draft Area Development Plan. The need for additional future post primary provision in Swords is being considered in this context.

The Draft Plan is nearing completion and will be published shortly. Following this, a public consultation process will be conducted by the Commission on School Accommodation. The process will culminate in a final Area Development Plan which will provide a blueprint for educational infrastructure in the area for the next decade including the need or otherwise to provide additional post primary school provision in Swords.

The school referred to by the Deputy has an application with my Department for major capital funding. The application, which is for ancillary accommodation and not to increase the capacity of the school, has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and progress on the project will be considered in the context of the overall educational plan for the Swords area.