Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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231. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the criteria used for dividing the country into 314 school planning areas; when the criteria was last reviewed; and the body responsible for its review. [23171/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data in a way that takes account of the significant local and regional variations in demographic trends and enrolment projections, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas, of which some 40 are in Dublin. 

Using school planning area boundaries within my Department’s Geographic Information System (GIS) allows data within those boundaries, including data for enrolments in schools, child benefit and other relevant data to be added to the mapping information, grouped and analysed.  The GIS records the number of primary and post-primary schools within each planning area, the combined enrolments for all of the schools within each area, including total enrolment and enrolment in each class group, together with child benefit data for the 0-4 age group relevant to the area.

In most areas, school planning areas were based on traditional school catchment areas where all primary schools were assigned to a post-primary feeder area (typically a population centre or town), containing one or more post-primary schools.  With the introduction of Small Areas in Census 2011, these feeder areas were amended to align with Census Small Areas. The current school planning areas take account not only of local groupings of schools, but also of natural boundaries, Census Small Areas and other local conditions.

These school planning areas are used in the demographic exercise as a basis for the assessment of areas of growth and to inform recommendations on the establishment of any new schools required in that school planning area. My Department does not have plans to review the school planning areas at this point. However, the implementation of Ireland 2040 may require further review of school planning areas based on spatial planning considerations and the roll-out of significant new residential developments over time.

Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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232. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the school planning areas in which Meakstown and Charlestown belong; and the reason they have not been defined in their own school planning area at this stage. [23172/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas. For school planning purposes Meakstown/Charlestown is located in the Finglas East_Ballymun_Dublin 11 school planning area, in which there are currently 9 primary schools.

Each school planning area, including the Finglas East_Ballymun_Dublin11 school planning area, encompasses a number of areas such as Charlestown and Meakstown. It is not necessary to have an individual school planning area for each area and such a division would not allow for a comprehensive analysis of demand in the wider area.