Vol. 546 No. 5
314 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which he has examined primary and secondary educational requirements in Celbridge, County Kildare; his proposals to meet the requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32416/01]
At primary level, with the exception of the north Kildare national school project, enrolments in Celbridge have been in gradual decline in recent years. However, there are three projects in architectural planning for primary schools in the Celbridge area. My Department has received a tender report in relation to the north Kildare national school project and this is currently being examined. The other two projects are at advanced stages of architectural planning. They involve the replacement of temporary classrooms with permanent accommodation and improving the level of ancillary accommodation at Scoil Mochua and Scoil na Mainistreach. It is envisaged that, following the completion of these building projects, there will be sufficient primary school accommodation to meet current and anticipated demand.
At post-primary level, a new school building was provided for St. Wolstan's Community School in 1999. In addition, an application for additional accommodation has been received from the Salesian College. In that regard, the planning and building unit of my Department is awaiting additional information on housing developments from the local authority in order to progress the application further.
My Department will continue to monitor school accommodation requirements in the Celbridge area and any additional needs will be addressed as expeditiously as possible.
