Vol. 547 No. 3
377 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department has received an application for additional accommodation from a school (details supplied) in County Westmeath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3218/02]
An application for an extension to the existing school was received in the planning and building unit of my Department in April 2000. Since that time, the planning and building unit has been involved in detailed consultation with the school authorities with a view to assessing the long-term accommodation requirements for the school.
This assessment has included both the technical analysis of existing accommodation and the statistical analysis of long-term pupil projections. The school authorities have recently submitted additional information on housing developments and this information is being examined in conjunction with projected demographic changes for the area and the consequential effect on demand for pupil places at post-primary level.
The planning section of my Department will be in touch with the school authorities as soon as this examination is complete.
