I propose to take Questions Nos. 650 and 672 together.
Historically, key decisions on educational provision have tended to be taken without any reference to the public at large. My decision to publish an annual school building programme has reinforced my strongly held conviction that all key decisions relating to educational infrastructure should be made in an open and transparent manner. For this reason, earlier this year I introduced a new planning model for educational infrastructure with the aim of ensuring that in future school provision will be decided only after a transparent consultation process. In this regard, trustees, parents, sponsors of prospective schools and all interested parties from a locality will have the opportunity to have their voices heard in the process.
The main feature of the new planning model is the publication of area development plans which will set out a blueprint for schools' development in an area into the future. In June, I published the draft plan for the area around the N4-M4 route from Leixlip to Kilcock, including Celbridge and Maynooth and from Enfield through to Kilbeggan, including Longwood, Edenderry and Killucan. Full details of the draft plan are available from my Department's website at www.education.ie.
Integral components of draft area development plans are: details of existing primary and post primary provision; a drawing together and examination of the demographics of the area and other relevant factors; commentary on the data; and recommendations for educational infrastructural provision in an area into the future.
The commission on school accommodation is conducting a public engagement process to which all interested parties can make submissions. All these submissions will be published and the process will culminate in the publication of a final development plan for the area against which all capital funding decisions will be made over the next decade.
I am confident this ground-breaking approach to school planning will provide a mechanism to ensure that capital funding is allocated in both a structured and a clearly identifiable manner into the future. Most importantly, all the stakeholders in education will have the opportunity of having their voices heard to make the education of our children the all-inclusive process it should be.