Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 84: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the steps she has taken to connect her Department's planning and building unit to the Central Statistics Office in order that the unit can have population forecasts, locally and nationally, which would indicate the scale and possible increase in the demand for primary and secondary school places arising from the existing or increased population; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28485/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The process of assessing the need for new or additional educational facilities at primary or post-primary level in any given area entails consideration of all relevant factors, including enrolment and demographic trends, housing developments and the capacity of existing schools to meet the demand for places. Liaison with existing schools is also an important part of the process, as the school authorities would usually alert the Department where, in their view, the need for additional accommodation is anticipated. In this way, every effort is made to ensure that there is adequate existing provision, or that timely arrangements are made to extend capacity or provide new infrastructure where necessary.

In addition, Local Authorities are obliged by statute to refer draft local area development plans to the Department for observation and comment so that lands can be zoned for future education use. There are numerous sites reserved for education purposes particularly in the rapidly developing areas so as to ensure that there will be sufficient land set aside and available for the future development of education infrastructure. Over and above the statutory consultation provisions in relation to local authority draft area development plans, the Department has in recent years worked to strengthen contacts with local authorities to enable informed decisions to be made in planning future educational provision.

My Department makes extensive use of data from the Census of Population for a variety of purposes including long-term projections of enrolment at national and local level. The census results for 2006 are of use in identifying broad trends in total population by county and local area. School Planning Section use census data when drafting area development plans and planning school provision for likely enrolment at local area level. It should be borne in mind that Census data do not provide a completely precise guide to future enrolment patterns in any particular locality. Given the time lag involved from Census date to publication of detailed results by area and age as well as uncertainties about trends in enrolment across area boundaries, care is needed in making detailed projections into the future for any specific locality.

The Deputy may be aware that the Programme for Government includes a commitment to establish a Developing Areas Unit in my Department. The unit will be solely dedicated to progressing school planning in rapidly developing areas, building on improvements that have already been made in school planning, in recent years. Staff in the unit will liaise with local authorities, identify where new schools are needed and ensure that they are delivered in the fastest possible timeframe.