Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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461. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the plans of her Department for either second-level school amalgamations or new second-level schools in the city of Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35146/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System (GIS). The GIS uses data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit Data from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and the Department's own school enrolment databases, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise.

The process has been strengthened this year through three specific initiatives:

- enhanced engagement with local authorities in relation to the information on residential development incorporated in the analysis process;

- additional engagement with patron bodies in relation to their local knowledge on school place requirements. Education and Training Boards, Diocesan offices and national patron bodies such as Educate Together, An Foras Pátrúnachta etc. can also be an important source of local knowledge. This will add to information also provided to the Department by local authorities or individual schools.

- Utilising the information gleaned from schools under the national inventory of school capacity completed by individual schools last year as part of POD, P-POD returns process.

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

- Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,

- Extending the capacity of a school or schools,

- Provision of a new school or schools.

Since 2018, 47 new schools to cater for demographic demand have been announced to be established over the period 2019-2022 and included in that number is a new 1,000 post-primary school for Galway City/Oranmore which opened in September 2019. In addition St. Mary’s College and Our Lady’s College are due to amalgamate from Sept 2021 with the amalgamation being catered for at St. Mary’s College. The Department has agreed to the expansion of this amalgamated school to 1,000 pupils. Additional accommodation is being provided for the school for Sept 2021 to cater for immediate needs”.

Similar to the process adopted for September 2020 readiness, the Department will be engaging further with patron bodies later this month in advance of identifying specific September 2021 capacity pressure points priorities which will necessitate specific action.

In a ‘normal’ year, addressing the increase demands for school places, whilst challenging, is manageable - generally through utilisation of existing spare capacity within schools, rental, temporary accommodation or other short term measures pending the delivery of permanent accommodation.