Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 May 2012
84 Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the number of parents in an area (detail supplied) in County Meath who regard the lack of provision of Catholic national school places in the town as an infringement of their constitutional right under Article 42.4; if his Department has an outline of a plan to vindicate these rights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26065/12]
View answerPrior to September 2011 there were three primary schools in the area referred to by the Deputy, all of which were under Catholic patronage. During 2010 and 2011 the Department had been examining the question of increasing the number of primary school places in area to cater for the expected increase in enrolments. As part of that consideration the Department consulted with the patron of the three Catholic schools regarding extending the capacity of those schools. The patron indicated that, following local consultation in area, the consensus was that the parish should not be involved in further primary school provision in the area.
With the commencement of the two new primary schools in the area there will be capacity for at least seven junior infant classes across the five schools in the area for September 2012. Five of these junior infant classes will be provided in schools with a Catholic ethos and two will be provided in schools with a multidenominational ethos. The two newer schools also have the potential to take a second class group of junior infants each if necessary. This additional capacity at junior infant level should be more than sufficient to meet the projected demand for places in area based on the analysis of child benefit data for the area.
My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places. This may result, however, in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.
