Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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428. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the catchment area for the new Harold's Cross secondary school will be extended to include the Dublin 8 and 12 areas in which there are two MDS primary schools; the rationale for not including these areas, which are in the immediate environment of the school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25543/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, in November 2016, I announced the patronage of a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school to be established in 2018 to serve the Dublin South City Centre area. This new school, which will be a co-educational, multi-denominational school under the patronage of Educate Together, will serve the Dublin 8 school planning area, along with the Dublin 2-Dublin 4 and Dublin 6 Clonskeagh school planning areas as a regional solution.

More recently, in April 2018, I announced plans for the establishment of 42 new schools over the next four years (2019 to 2022), including new post-primary schools for areas adjacent to Dublin 8 and Dublin 12 as follows:

- new 1,000 pupil post-primary school to be established in 2020 as a regional solution to serve the Dublin 6 Clonskeagh and Dublin 6W school planning areas.

- new 600 pupil post-primary school to be established in 2021 to serve the Dublin 2-Dublin 4 school planning area.

A patronage process, which will be open to all patron bodies, will be run by my Department to decide who will operate these schools.

These new schools will further reduce pressure on schools in the adjacent school planning areas, including the Dublin 8 and 12 areas.