Jack Wall
Question:196 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16377/04]
View answerTuesday, 1 June 2004
Questions (179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185)
Jack Wall
Question:197 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans for school extensions which his Department is processing for the Newbridge area; the status of such applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16378/04]
View answerJack Wall
Question:198 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans his Department has to deal with the overflow of children unable to obtain places in the Newbridge area (details supplied) for 2004-2005; the way in which parents can obtain places for their children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16379/04]
View answerJack Wall
Question:199 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the provision of a new primary school (details supplied) in Newbridge that will meet the needs of the fast expanding population of the town; if his Department has evaluated the statistics and concerns of the town; the progress which has been made since the specially convened meeting of his Department and concerned representatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16380/04]
View answerJack Wall
Question:200 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science the meetings his Department has had with relevant local authorities in regard to the development plans of same; if his Department has made submissions to Kildare County Council in regard to its projected needs for the Newbridge area in future years; if his Department has statistics in regard to the Newbridge area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16381/04]
View answerJack Wall
Question:201 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science the meetings he or his Department has had or proposes to have with the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government in regard to the projected needs of areas of primary growth development such as the Newbridge, Naas and Kildare triangle for educational purposes; the results of such meetings and the progress which has been made with or contact which has resulted from the local authority in regard to such decisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16382/04]
View answerJack Wall
Question:218 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science the position of his Department in regard to a submission (details supplied); if the contents of the submission will be agreed to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16601/04]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 196 to 201, inclusive, and 218 together.
The school planning section is responsible for planning the provision of suitable cost-effective accommodation to underpin the delivery of first and second level education. Key functions of the section are ensuring there are sufficient pupil places available at first and second level schools and that the use of existing accommodation is optimised.
Assessing the need for new or additional educational facilities involves a detailed appraisal of enrolment patterns in all existing schools in an area, an analysis of demographic trends in an area, a review of housing developments and, crucially, a determination regarding the capacity of existing schools to meet demands for new places that may be identified. The Minister for Education and Science is included among the prescribed authorities to whom local authorities are statutorily obliged to send draft development plans or proposed variations to development plans. These plans are monitored and, where necessary, meetings with local authorities are arranged to establish the location, scale and pace of major housing developments and their possible implications for school provision. Where appropriate, the local authority may be requested to reserve a site for educational purposes. In this way, every effort is made to ensure that there is adequate existing provision or that timely arrangements are made to extend capacity where necessary. Liaison with existing schools is an important part of the process also, as the school authorities would usually alert my Department where, in their view, the need for additional accommodation is anticipated.
Officials from the school planning section of my Department recently met with officials from Kildare County Council with regard to monitoring demographic changes and assessing the likely impact of planned new developments in County Kildare. While my officials have no evidence to support a claim of an accommodation crisis in Newbridge, they will keep in close contact with the council to monitor ongoing developments in the area.
With regard to details of current school building projects in Newbridge, the capital programme for 2004 has been published and full details for all counties, including Kildare, are available on my Department's website at www.education.ie.
When publishing the 2004 school building programme, I outlined that my strategy going forward will be grounded in capital investment based on multi-annual allocations. My officials are reviewing all projects which were not authorised to proceed to construction as part of the 2004 school building programme, with a view to including them as part of a multi-annual school building programme from 2005 onwards. I expect to be in a position to make further announcements on this matter in the course of the year. This multi-annual building programme, when published, will provide a comprehensive picture detailing all planned building projects in the Kildare area, including Newbridge.