Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 93: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools she has changed from one catchment area to another in the past three years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42428/10]

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 94: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools she has changed from one catchment area to another in the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42429/10]

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 95: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools she has changed from one catchment area to another in the past ten years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42430/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 93 to 95, inclusive, together.

Catchment boundaries have their origins in the establishment of free post primary education in the late 1960s. For planning purposes, the country was divided into geographic districts, each with several primary schools feeding into a post primary education centre with one or more post primary schools. The intention was that these defined districts would facilitate the orderly planning of school provision and accommodation needs. They also facilitated the provision of a national school transport service, enabling children from remote areas to get to their nearest school.

In general, the Department does not change schools from one catchment area to another. However, when a new post primary centre is established, it is necessary to create a new catchment area for the purposes of identifying feeder primary schools, previously belonging to other post primary centres, for the new centre. This happened, for example, in Meath in recent years where two new post primary centres were established in Ratoath and Laytown. This is not the case where an additional school is provided in an existing post primary centre as this centre then becomes a multi-school centre.

Furthermore, where a sole post primary school in a post primary centre is closed, the existing feeder primary schools may have to be reassigned to another appropriate post primary centre.

Unfortunately, it has not been possible to gather the specific details requested by the Deputy in the time available. However, I will arrange for the details to be forwarded separately to the Deputy.