Vol. 435 No. 9
249 Mrs. T. Ahearn asked the Minister for Education the steps, if any, she intends to take to tackle the overcrowding in the Christian Brothers High School, Clonmel, County Tipperary, where there will be no admission of first year students in September 1994, due to the lack of accommodation; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Following an examination of the accommodation requirements of the Christian Brothers High School, it has been agreed to grant aid the provision of three general classrooms and one mechanical drawing room there. My Department has written to the school authorities outlining the details and the arrangements to be made for the provision of the accommodation.
There are four post-primary schools in Clonmel Postprimary Centre, two of which cater for boys — the High School and the Vocational School. My Department's main responsibility in the matter of the provision of school accommodation is to ensure that in any given centre or catchment area there are sufficient post primary places overall to meet immediate and long term needs.
In this context and in the light of demographic trends, i.e., declining births, falling enrolments, etc., I am satisfied that with the provision of the current approved accommodation for the High School the Centre will have sufficient accommodation to meet its immediate and future needs.
My Department will, however, keep the situation under review in the light of the most up to date statistics for the area.
