Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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112. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children in primary schools in the Navan school catchment area; the number of secondary school places that exist in the town; and the planned numbers in both sectors for each of the next five years. [42120/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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For school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 geographic areas known as school planning areas which facilitates the orderly planning of school provision and accommodation needs. 

In the Navan school planning area, there are 20 primary schools with a total enrolment for the 2016/17 school year of 6,184 primary pupils and 5 post-primary schools with a total enrolment for the 2016/17 school year of 3,385 post-primary students. 

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.

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).

My Department is currently carrying out demographic exercises on school planning areas nationwide, including the Navan school planning area, at primary and post-primary level to determine where additional school accommodation is needed. It is anticipated that decisions based on these exercises will be announced later in 2017.