Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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435. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the proposed secondary school for the Kinnegad area in County Westmeath. [4748/16]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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My Department uses a Geographical Information System to identify the areas under increased demographic pressure nationwide. The system uses data from the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Department of Social Protection and information from the Department's own databases. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises to determine where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.

The outcome of the latest demographic exercises was that in November 2015, I announced that 4 new primary schools and 9 new post-primary schools will open in 2017 and 2018 to cater for increased demographic needs. As part of my announcement I noted that a range of areas nationwide, including Kinnegad (Killucan feeder area), are experiencing increased demographic pressure and will be kept under ongoing review.