Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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115. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress in respect of the school building programme at primary and second level throughout the country with particular reference to the need to meet demographic pressures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31999/17]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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116. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which the school building programme in County Kildare needs upgrading to address the needs arising from demographic pressure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32000/17]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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119. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which he expects to be in a position to replace unfit classroom accommodation at primary and second level schools throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32003/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 115, 116 and 119 together.

I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas. The GIS uses data from a range of sources, including 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 exercises at primary and post-primary level to determine where additional school accommodation is needed. My Department is currently in the process of completing demographic exercises nationwide. This process is detailed and rigorous and will take some time to complete. It is anticipated that decisions based on these exercises will be announced later in 2017.

My Department's six year Capital Programme priorities building projects to meet demographic demand and this includes schools in County Kildare. The Capital Programme also provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms, if required, for schools where an immediate enrolment need has been identified or where an additional teacher has been appointed.

As the Deputy is aware, there are currently 29 major capital projects being progressed in County Kildare, details of which were provided to the Deputy previously. This is in addition to the smaller scale projects that have been approved devolved funding under my Department's additional accommodation scheme. Details of these projects may be viewed on my Department's website which is updated regularly.

I also wish to advise the Deputy that it is my intention, in accordance with the Programme for Government to replace all purchased temporary accommodation with permanent accommodation, where the need is established, over the lifetime of my Department's Capital Programme (2016-2021). To enable this development, my Department will be carrying out an assessment of the number of prefabs being used in schools to deliver the curriculum. This will also determine whether individual prefabs need to be replaced in the context of the long-term accommodation needs of each individual school. When completed, this assessment will quantity the number of prefabs to be replaced.

It is intended that this assessment, when finalised, will enable the replacement of such prefabs to commence in 2019. A funding provision of €180 million is being made available from 2019 for this initiative in the programme.