Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for my Department.

In order to plan for school place needs, 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.

Where forecasts indicate growing enrolments, my Department first considers available capacity within the existing schools in the area. Where additional provision is needed, the options considered are the expansion of existing schools or the establishment of one or more new schools. Where an expedited solution is required for a near-term need, my Department utilises its Modular Accommodation Framework and the delivery of this accommodation is overseen by Project Managers as a support to the relevant schools.

In response to the projections of school place needs in Limerick City, my Department has provided significant additional post primary capacity, including a new 1,000 pupil school building for Limerick Educate Together Secondary School, and a new 750 school building for Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh. New school buildings are also in train for Laurel Hill Secondary School, Mungret Community College, Laurel Hill Coláiste, and Ardscoil Mhuire, as well as extensions at Castletroy College, Thomond Community College, and Coláiste Mhichil.

These projects are providing state of the art, modern accommodation to meet the needs of the growing number of post primary students across Limerick City, including specifically designed provision to meet the needs of students with special educational needs.

As the Deputy will be aware, a Common Applications System, or CAS, operates to manage the admissions process for post primary schools in Limerick City. This system has worked very effectively to meet post primary school place needs and is successfully administered by Limerick Education Centre. My Department has been in close engagement with Limerick Education Centre and school patrons with regard to the admissions process for the 2024/25 school year and has been advised that all applicants under the CAS system have received a first year place for September 2024.

My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998.

Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available a selection process may be necessary. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.

My Department continues to keep the school place needs in Limerick under review, including through engagement with the local authority and school patrons, particularly in the context of the significant population growth provided for under the Limerick Development Plan.