Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Officials from my Department have been in contact with the school in question regarding this matter. The school's insurance will deal with a lot of the needs and I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department has also recently approved funding for the provision of replacement furniture.

My Department has also advised the school that it is open to consider applications from it for the rental of temporary accommodation and also preventative measures to help minimise the risk of this scenario occurring in the future. The relevant application forms have been issued to the school and when they are completed my Department will assess them without delay.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 574: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason she has not nominated a representative to a board (details supplied); if she will send a representative to the board; her proposals for primary and secondary schooling in the area in view of the proposal for an additional 1,000 housing units in the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35561/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Department has established a number of Regional Offices to provide information and advice on educational issues to groups and individuals at a regional level and to liaise with regionally based development groups pursuing an educational agenda. The Dublin City and Fingal Regional Office will serve the area in which the Board referred to by the Deputy is based. This office will be located in Blanchardstown and is due to open at the end of the year.

The Directorate of Regional Services recently responded to a letter from the Chairperson of the Board in question requesting the appointment of a Departmental representative to the Board. This response outlined the role and function to be assumed by the Regional Office and advised that, when operational, a member of staff will make the necessary contact with the Board.

With regard to the extent of extra housing being provided, the 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.

In this context, the Department is liaising with Dublin City Council to determine the rate and pace of proposed developments in the area in question for the purposes of assessing the impact that this development will have on the demand for school places.

In a preliminary assessment of the capacity of existing schools in the area, the Department is satisfied that there is adequate capacity to cater for any additional demand for school places in the short to medium term. It will continue to monitor the situation on an on-going basis.