Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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202. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her priorities for primary and second level education throughout County Kildare in the future in view of the demographics of the area and being adjacent to Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30584/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, 45 new schools have been announced to open between 2019 and 2022 including five new schools to serve Kildare:

- a new 8-classroom primary school established in 2019 to serve the Leixlip school planning area;

- a new 8-classroom primary school established in 2019 to serve the Maynooth school planning area;

- a new 8-classroom primary school to be established in 2021 to serve the Naas school planning area;

- a new post-primary school established in 2020 to serve the Kilcock school planning area (to be located in Enfield); and

- a new Gaelcholáiste established in 2020 to serve the Maynooth school planning area.

In addition, the planned provision of a new 1000 pupil building for the existing Curragh post primary school is intended to provide capacity to cater for demand arising in the Curragh and adjoining Newbridge and Kildare school planning areas. The site identification exercise for this school building project is currently at an advanced stage.

A significant number of other schools in Kildare have current capital projects and details of these are available on my Department’s website, www.education.ie.

Furthermore, the requirement for additional school places is kept under on-going review and my Department is currently working on an updated exercise to assess needs for the coming years, including those which may arise in Kildare. This work is at an advanced stage.