Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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157. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on whether single sex schools are an outdated model for both primary and secondary schools; and the steps her Department will take to migrate to a fully co-educational model. [4656/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the decision-making authority in respect of the status of existing schools, including whether they are single sex or co-educational, belongs to the Patron, subject to the agreement of the Department.

Procedures in place since 2011 dictate that new schools are established to serve areas of significant demographic growth. This allows the Department to direct capital investment to areas of most need. Generally, where a new school is identified as the optimum solution, such new school provision (primary and post-primary) is co-educational in nature. Co-educational schools provide greater flexibility than single sex schools in terms of meeting demographic and school accommodation requirements in an area. Single-sex provision may, however, be made if there is an identified imbalance between the capacities of single-sex schools in the area.

With respect to school building projects generally, replacement school buildings for existing schools, other major building projects and smaller scale Additional School Accommodation scheme projects are approved on the basis of the accommodation need and single-sex schools are not excluded from such provision.