Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 91: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the expected number of students, including the percentage increase, to enrol into secondary schools in September 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012; the locations which can expect an increase in pupil enrolment based upon her contact with secondary schools; the provisions being made by the schools to facilitate the increase in students enrolling into secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28484/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The information in the format requested by the Deputy is not readily available. The annual total of births in Ireland has been increasing since 1995. As a direct consequence of this, enrolments at Primary level have been increasing since 2001/02 and are projected to continue increasing for the foreseeable future. Inward migration is another factor pushing up enrolment at both primary and second level in recent years together with an underlying increase in participation — especially beyond the compulsory school-leaving age.

Taking all factors into account including some further growth in retention, continuing net inward migration and the long-term impact of rising numbers at primary level feeding through to second level, it is expected that total enrolment at second level will resume growth from its current low level of just around 330,000 (projection for 2006/07) to reach about 370,000 in 2015/16. It will increase further after 2015 as those born in the years of rising births from 1995-2004 will pass through second level in the period coming years.

Of course, the projected growth in enrolment at primary and second level will not be evenly spread across the country. Sharp differences in population growth, and even decline in some areas, are characteristic of many areas of the country. While the level of teaching resources can be adjusted to changes in enrolment through the staffing schedules in operation at primary and second level hard infrastructure such as buildings and other facilities are more difficult to plan for at a very local level. And where investment takes place it takes time to put these resources in place to meet additional and sometimes unexpected demand.

To deal with this increasing demand for school places, the Government is providing funding of €4.5 billion over the lifetime of the new National Development Plan (NDP). This will be the largest investment programme in schools in the history of the State and it will enable my Department to ensure that school places are available where needed as well as continuing to upgrade existing school facilities. This investment will allow my Department to continue the school building programme which commenced during the life time of the last NDP when well over €2.6 billion was invested in school development, delivering over 7,800 projects.

The budget for 2007 is the first year of the roll out of the new NDP. This funding will enable my Department to continue to provide modern school accommodation on an on-going basis, particularly in developing areas. This year alone around over €540 million will be spent on school building infrastructure with over 1,500 projects on my Department's school building programme. Construction in 2007 alone will deliver over 700 classrooms to provide permanent accommodation for over 17,500 pupils, mainly in developing areas.