Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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282. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she or her Department will consider the case for a new primary school for Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim, given the huge deficit of space and the ever-increasing demand for school places in a town that has grown significantly in recent years. [4037/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose.  Additionally, Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets inform my Department's projections of school place requirements.

Major new residential developments in a school planning area have the potential to alter demand in that area.  In that regard, as part of the demographic exercises, my Department engages with each local authority to obtain the up-to-date data on significant new residential development in each area.  My Department then makes an assessment of the existing capacity within the particular area and its ability to meet increased demand. 

Following one such discussion, Leitrim County Council identified a projected growth of cc 1,000 persons between 2016 and 2029.  Following our assessment of this information and potential school capacity in the future, it is anticipated that the level of additional potential requirements arising from the projected population increase can be met at the existing facilities.  It is noted that both Leitrim and Roscommon County Council intend to prepare a joint Local Area Plan for Carrick-on-Shannon and Cortober (Roscommon). The Department will engage with the development of this plan. 

The Department are awaiting the publication of the joint local area plan for Carrick-on-Shannon and Cortober,  where the Department will engage further with the Council and re-assess our requirements at that point.

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

It is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors:

- Duplication of applications – pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the area

- School of choice – pupils can’t get a place in their preferred school while there are places in otherschools in the town/area

- Some towns/areas have single sex schools and while places are available in the school they arenot available to all pupils

- External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area.