Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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159. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department has ever conducted an assessment of the demand for an additional second level school in Kildare South; if his Department has consulted with local parents on this issue, particularly in relation to the demand for a multidenominational second level school for the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33682/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. The GIS uses data from the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Department of Social Protection and my Department's own databases. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic analyses at primary and post-primary level to determine where additional school accommodation is needed.

The most recent demographic analyses showed that, while the school planning areas in South Kildare are experiencing some demographic growth, the level of growth and the rate of year-on-year increase is not to such an extent that would currently warrant the provision of additional new schools at this point. With the addition of both planned and recently-delivered infrastructural provision in areas in South Kildare, the existing schools should between them be able to cater for the overall level of demographic demand for post-primary school places. The areas are continuing to be kept under review by my Department to take account of updated child benefit and enrolment data and the impact of capacity increases in these and adjoining areas.

The patronage assessment process to determine who will operate a new school is a separate process. This process is run after it has been decided that a new school is required. It is open to all patrons and prospective patrons to apply for patronage of a new school under this process. Parental preferences, together with an analysis of the extent of existing diversity in an area, are central to this process and prospective patrons are required to provide evidence of demand for their particular school model.