Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 240: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, further to a previous parliamentary question, if she will comment as to whether a school (details supplied) in County Galway is to be included in the next public private partnership bundle which is now overdue; if she will indicate when this bundle will be announced. [22520/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The school referred to by the Deputy was announced in 2005 as one of the 27 schools included in my Department's PPP school building programme. A site has been purchased by City of Galway VEC for the provision of a new school building. My Department is now in the process of identifying what school projects might be eligible for consideration for inclusion in a 4th bundle of PPP schools and the school in question is being considered in that context.

The nature of procurement via Public Private Partnership is that a Bundle of school projects is offered to the market together. The other issues which have to be considered in the timing and bundling of schools include outline planning permission being secured, geographical spread and the total committed cost of the proposed bundle. The indicative timeframe for the delivery of a Bundle of Public Private Partnership schools currently stands at approximately 4 years for the date the Bundle is announced.

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 241: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the year that she considers to be the optimum time to open a school on the already identified site at Clonburris, County Dublin. [22529/10]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 242: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the stage it would be envisaged that the second school site on the Clonburris local area plan would be required to meet demand for second level school places from within the existing Lucan area in view of the fact that figures provided by the schools themselves, an analysis from census information and research carried out by community groups suggest that even if a school opens on the first Clonburris site in September 2011, this, along with the recent opening of Adamstown Community College and the expansion for Lucan Community College, will not in itself fully meet the capacity requirements during the 2012 to 2015 period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22530/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 241 and 242 together.

Forward Planning Section of my Department is analysing demographic trends and the impact for school infrastructure provision on an ongoing basis. Based on this analysis of current demographic trends it is anticipated that there will be a need for a further post-primary school in the Clonburris, Lucan area in the medium term. More detailed analysis will be required in order to determine an optimum date for the commencement of that school.

In the interim, my Department has increased post-primary school capacity in the Lucan area with the provision of recently completed building projects. This includes the opening of a new post-primary school in Adamstown in September 2009 which has capacity to cater for up to 1,000 pupils. These recently completed projects, in addition to currently planned extension projects, will assist in reducing pressure for pupil places in the short to medium term while the process of advancing the project for a new school continues.

I have previously stated that given the changing nature of Irish society and the projected need for a number of post-primary schools to open in the medium term, the Department is considering a number of broad policy issues regarding the establishment of new post-primary schools. As part of this, consideration is being given to the setting up of a new framework in relation to the establishment of new second-level schools and their patronage. New schools where only very initial planning has taken place, such as the case of the proposed new school in Lucan referred to by the Deputy, will be considered in the context of this framework when it is established. It is my intention to finalise this matter and convey a decision to all relevant parties at the earliest date possible.