My Department has provided significant additional capacity at primary level in the Lucan area with the opening in September, 2008 of the new 8 classroom primary school in Clonburris. The long term plan for this school is the provision of a 16 classroom school and appropriate ancillary space as per Department guidelines. Based on current demographic trends, my Department anticipates that there will be a need for a further post-primary school in Lucan in the medium term and it has asked South Dublin County Council to identify a site for this development. A timeframe for the delivery of the school will be known when a suitable site has been identified and acquired. The local authority has a number of Local Area Plans in train and it is likely that the Department will be able to secure a site under this process.
My Department is conscious of the lead-in period for the delivery of a post-primary school and it would be anxious to conclude the site issue as soon as possible. It will continue to engage with the local authority until this matter is resolved. My Department will also be making a post primary school available in the Adamstown SDZ which is adjacent to Lucan. This school building is planned to come on steam for the 2009/10 school year. This new post-primary school will operate under the patronage of County Dublin VEC and will cater for 1,000 pupils. Further school provision will be provided as the need arises in the Lucan area.