Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 155: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has any plan to provide funding for a new secondary school in Lucan, County Dublin; if so, if he will give details of these plans, including the funding to be allocated, catchment area to be covered and number of pupils to be catered for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12243/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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As the Deputy is aware, total enrolment in both primary and post-primary schools is expected to grow by almost 70,000 between now and 2018 (over 45,000 at primary level and 25,000 at post primary) and will continue to grow up to at least 2024 at post-primary level. The priority now is to focus on major school projects and smaller projects devolved to schools to meet the demographic demands. The primary aim will be to ensure that every child will have access to a school place.

It is within this context that in 2011, I announced the establishment of 40 new schools nationally within the next six years, comprising of twenty new primary schools and twenty new post-primary schools. Of these, 18 will be in the Dublin area, 12 of which will be primary and 6 post primary schools. Lucan is one of the areas where a 1,000 pupil second level school will be established in the coming years. The school will cater for increasing demographic demand in the general Lucan area.

I have already indicated in the context of the announcement on the 10th November 2011 last of the Government's Medium Term Infrastructure and Capital Investment Framework, which sets out the demographic challenge facing the education system in the coming years, that I intend to publish shortly a five year plan outlining the projects that will commence construction in that time.