Schools Building Projects

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 March 2017

Wednesday, 1 March 2017

Questions (23)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

23. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the steps that have been taken, or are being taken, to build a new secondary school in Galway city in view of the provision in the programme for Government that school provision will reflect the diversity of 21st century Ireland and in view of the clear need and demand for a new second level school in Galway city and the waiting lists for almost all existing schools, including newly constructed schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10620/17]

Oral answers (8 contributions)

Deputy Catherine Connolly

I tabled a question to the Minister last month and I am back on the same subject because I am unhappy - more importantly, the group behind the request for a new Educate Together school in Galway is most unhappy - with the response. Given that there are five primary schools under the Educate Together banner, given that there is an independent report by NUI Galway establishing the need for a school, given that the Minister's school building programme identifies Galway as an area in which a new school may be necessary in 2018 and given many other criteria, will the Minister indicate steps the Department is taking? There are 1,480 children on a list of expressions of interest for entry to the new secondary school under Educate Together patronage.

Deputy Richard Bruton

I will repeat some of the information, but it is important that the House knows how the system works. The Department operates 314 geographic planning areas. It looks at the school places being provided in the school planning areas and sizes up this information against the demographic pressures. Geographic information systems data are used, as is the Department's database of children coming through. With this information the Department identifies the areas in which new schools are needed at primary or post-primary level.

As the Deputy knows, this year we have 13 new schools, nine post-primary and four primary schools. They are in areas where need was responded to. We continue to keep the Galway city area under review. Galway city is an area of demographic growth. It is also an area in which certain schools experience a decline in pupil numbers. From its review of the data, the Department has found existing post-primary schools in Galway city are capable of meeting the needs of the school planning area in the short to medium term. The 11 existing post-primary schools in Galway city include two new schools which opened in September 2013 in response to emerging demographic needs. They are Merlin College in Doughiska and Coláiste Bhaile Chláir which, between them, will provide 1,650 school places once completed. As with other school planning areas nationwide, the demographic data for the Galway city planning area are being kept under review by the Department.

Deputy Catherine Connolly

I thank the Minister, but I already had that information from the answer to my previous question. I stated I was moving on from it. There are five national schools under the Educate Together banner in Galway and the children concerned have no secondary school to go to. As I understand it, only one school has experienced a decrease in numbers. All of the others have a waiting list. In Baile Chláir children cannot get into the new secondary school. An independent analysis by NUI Galway shows that a new school is necessary. I repeat that the Minister's school building programme shows that it may be necessary in 2018 as there are already 1,480 children on a list of expressions of interest. The programme for Government commits to the provision of new schools and giving choices to parents and children with regard to schools of a particular ethos or none. There are Educate Together schools in Knocknacarra, Newcastle, Claregalway and Kilcolgan which is in Kilcornan, but there is no secondary school for their pupils to go to. There are schools with waiting lists and the Minister is telling me the Department's demographic studies show that a school is not necessary. Something is amiss somewhere in the analysis.

Deputy Richard Bruton

The data are provided. There are 11 post-primary schools with 6,168 pupils. Capacity in the area, with the inclusion of the two new schools, is 6,711, or 540 additional places over and above current enrolments. As the Deputy said, two of the schools are new. The Department does not select individual patrons. We have a patronage competition. We do not indicate whether it should be this patron or not; we have a competition. In the case of one of the schools, there was a patronage process and the other school came in before there was a patronage competition. They are both multidenominational schools under the patronage of the ETB. The two new schools are multidenominational schools. We apply the same rules in every catchment area. This is not discriminating against one or another. The data presented to me show that there are approximately 500 places available over and above current enrolments in the post-primary catchment area. Of course, when a new school is needed, it will be open to a patronage competition in which the view of the parents will prevail.

Deputy Catherine Connolly

Again, we are into the issue of patronage. According to the Department, there are 12 post-primary schools and 35 national schools, although I admit other documents state there are 36 national schools and 11 post-primary schools. There are waiting lists for almost all secondary schools in Galway. The statistics the Minister is using have been challenged by Educate Together which is more than willing to meet his officials to tease out the differences. Mistakes have been made on figures. That 95% of children in primary schools in a particular area will go to a secondary school in the area is not correct. Vast volumes of pupils travel from various areas to Galway city to go to school. The campaign has been ongoing since 2012 and five years on what Educate Together deserves at the very least is a meeting with departmental officials to tease out what appear to be substantial differences between the figures the Department is coming up with and those with which the group is coming up on the ground. I appeal to the Minister to facilitate a meeting as soon as possible.

Deputy Richard Bruton

Two new schools have been provided in the area. It is not the case that the Department is doing nothing. Two new schools have been provided.

Deputy Catherine Connolly

There is a waiting list.

Deputy Richard Bruton

As of today, the Department's data show that there are more places than current enrolments. Obviously, if the Deputy wishes to submit data, I will get the officials to examine them. What happens in many cases - I have a little experience from meeting other Deputies - is that groups will look outside the catchment area to find schools to try to form different geographic areas than those used by the Department.

I can understand why they would do that but we have to operate in a fair way across the whole country and that is the approach that is being taken. It is an established process which attempts to be fair to all who apply. If the Deputy submits data we will examine it.