Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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130. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will outline the way the process by demand is assessed for Irish medium secondary school education in school. planning zones. [13671/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As part of the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030, the Department of Education has committed to creating opportunities for expanding Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht in the context of the announcements since April 2018 on the establishment of 47 new schools from 2019, which affords particular consideration to the establishment of Gaelscoileanna, Gaelcholáistí, and Aonaid Lán-Ghaeilge as part of the patronage process for new schools. Work is currently being progressed in my Department on the development of a new policy on Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht. The objectives set out for this policy include, among other things, exploring how opportunities for the establishment of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí can be increased as part of the patronage process.

The Department plans school provision across a framework of 314 school planning areas in order to assess and meet changing demographic needs throughout the country.  The Department uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise.

The most recent analysis undertaken by the Department projects that 85% of the 314 school planning areas at primary level show static or decreasing enrolments for the period to 2026 compared with 2021, whereas some 74% of school planning areas at post-primary level are anticipated to have increased enrolments for the period to 2029, with most expected to reach a peak within the next two or three years.

Where demographic data indicates that additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may, be provided through:

- Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,

- Extending the capacity of  a school or schools,

- Provision of a new school or schools.

A patronage process is run after it has been decided, based on demographic analysis, that a new school is required.  The patronage process is open to all patron bodies and prospective patrons. It is open to all patron applicants to propose provision of Irish-medium education as part of their application for a new school.  Following the April 2018 announcement of the establishment of the new schools from 2019, the Department has developed a new Online Patronage Process System, which provides objective information and allows parents to express their preferences in relation to the patronage and language of instruction, i.e. Irish or English, of these new schools.   Parental preferences, as well as other considerations such as the extent of diversity of provision in an area (including Irish-medium provision), are key to the decision-making process and to whether at primary level the school would be a Irish-medium gaelscoil or English-medium school or whether at post-primary level a school would take the form of an Irish-medium Gaelcholáiste or whether, if English-medium, the school would include an Irish-medium unit.

The Department assesses the applications received and prepares assessment reports for the consideration of the New Schools Establishment Group, an independent advisory group established to oversee the process. Following the Group's consideration, they submit a report with recommendations to the Minister for consideration and final decision.

The other mechanism by which Irish-medium post-primary provision can be made is by way of the establishment of an Irish-medium unit/Aonad in an English-medium school.  This is a potential outcome from a patronage process as referenced above.  It is also possible for any post-primary school patron to contact the Department to explore the establishment of an Aonad in an existing post-primary school.