Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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437. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the new schools to be constructed as a regional solution in 2017 and 2018; the definition of a regional solution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38620/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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In order to plan for school provision, my Department carries out demographic exercises based on 314 school planning areas across the country. 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 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.

Where demographic data indicates that additional provision is required, the delivery of the additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may, depending on the circumstances, be provided through either one, or a combination of, the following:

Utilising existing unused capacity with a school or schools,

Extending the capacity of a school or schools,

Provision of a new school(s).

In some instances, while projected growth in a single school planning area may not, of itself, warrant provision of a new school, where the combined demographic increases across a number of adjacent school planning areas indicate sufficient demand for a viable school, a regional solution may be put in place to serve these areas.

As the Deputy may be aware, on foot of the last nationwide demographic exercises, the establishment of four new primary schools and nine new post-primary schools to open in 2017 and 2018 was announced. A number of these schools were announced as regional solutions to serve a number of school planning areas under increased demographic pressure as follows:

Carpenterstown & Castleknock, Dublin 15 (post-primary);

Dublin South City Centre (post-primary); and

Dublin South City Centre (primary).

These new schools will open in suitable interim accommodation pending delivery of their permanent accommodation.