Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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248. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the capital programme for school buildings takes account of the future demand for the provision of education through the Irish language; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20643/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, my Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places will arise nationwide. The GIS uses data from the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Department of Social Protection and information from my Department's own databases. With this information my Department carries out demographic analyses to determine where additional school places are required nationwide.

When it is decided that a new school is required to meet demographic needs in an area, my Department runs a separate patronage process to decide who will operate the school. It is open to all patrons and prospective patrons to apply for patronage of the school under this process and the level of parental preference for each patron, including for those providing Irish-medium education, is key to decisions in relation to the outcome of the process.

The criteria used in assessing the patronage applications received from prospective patrons place a particular emphasis on parental demand for plurality and diversity of provision, with parental preferences at the centre of the process. In this regard, prospective patrons must collect and demonstrate evidence of the level of parental demand for their preferred model of provision and medium of instruction, English or Irish, as part of their application under this process.

The Deputy will be aware in that regard of my recent announcement that An Foras Pátrúnachta is the patron of one of the 3 new primary schools, which will open in September of this year. This new gaelscoil will provide education through the medium of Irish in the Goatstown/Stillorgan school planning area. My Department is currently carrying out an analysis of the applications received for the patronage of the nine new post-primary schools which will open in coming years - six in September 2017 and three in September 2018. In line with the arrangements referred to above, prospective patrons were required to submit with their application a parental preference template in which parents have been requested to state their preference for their child(ren) to be educated through the medium of English or Irish. On completion of this assessment, my Department will draft a report for the consideration of the New Schools Establishment Group who will submit a report with recommendations to me for consideration and final decision. One of the requirements for patronage of the new post-primary schools where the medium of instruction is English, and a willingness and commitment to open an Aonad in the school if there is sufficient parental demand.

In addition to new gaelscoileanna and gaelcholaistí that may be established in the future under the patronage process referred to above, I can advise the Deputy that over 85 major building projects were included in my Department's 5 Year Plan (2012-16) and in my Department's Six-Year Capital Programme (2016-21) in respect of gaelscoileanna and gaelcholaistí. These projects will provide additional places to meet future demand for tuition through the medium of Irish as part of the overall priority to meet demographic need.

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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249. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department currently encourages schools to provide an Irish language medium stream for pupils, where there is clear local demand from parents; if his Department has issued guidelines to schools through circulars or other communication on the way to establish such a stream; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20644/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The process for the establishment of new schools to meet demographic needs and the separate process in relation to the patronage of each new schools incorporates consideration of, and the potential for, Irish-medium provision. It is open to all patron bodies and prospective patrons, including patrons involved in Irish-medium provision and indeed any prospective patron which wishes to provide Irish-medium education, to apply for patronage of a new school under the patronage process. Parental preferences for each patron, together with the extent of diversity currently available in the area, are key to decisions in relation to the outcome of this process. In this regard, as part of the application process, prospective patrons must submit completed parental preferences.

Among the issues to be considered, particularly at post-primary level, are the provision of a sufficient range of subject choice for students, appropriate school facilities and sufficient specialist teachers, particularly where an Aonad may be provided within an English-medium school.

It is important that Irish-medium provision is planned and can be delivered in a successful and sustainable way.