Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 22 Oct 1992

Vol. 424 No. 2

Written Answers. - National School Overcrowding.

Tomás MacGiolla

Question:

45 Tomás Mac Giolla asked the Minister for Education if, in view of the gross overcrowding of St. Louise's national school, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10, which required the location for four pre-fabricated classrooms in the school yard, and the lack of space in other schools, he will build a school in the Cherry Orchard area of Dublin 10 as had been originally planned.

Minister for Education (Mr. S. Brennan)

Children of primary school-going age from the Cherry Orchard area are at present adequately catered for in the nine national schools in the Ballyfermot area which is adjacent to, and accessible from, Cherry Orchard. In those circumstances my Department do not propose to build a primary school in Cherry Orchard.

My Department recently grant-aided the provision of four prefabricated classrooms — three at St. Louise de Marillac senior school and one at St. Louise de Marillac infants school, Ballyfermot. My Department do not accept that there is gross overcrowding at these schools or that there is a lack of space in the other national schools in Ballyfermot. On the contrary, my Department understand that some of the schools have spare capacity.