Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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There are 16 architects employed by the Planning and Building Unit (PBU) of my Department.

Given the nature of the Department’s work, the Department of Education does not directly employ planners, in the sense of planning professionals accredited by bodies such as the Irish Planning Institute. However, expertise in the Department’s PBU encompasses a range of functions relevant to planning for the school estate, such as demographic projections, strategic capacity planning, and development and implementation of GIS systems to support forward planning. Officials from the PBU also engage extensively with planners in local authorities in the context of planning for the school estate and specific school building projects.