Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 January 2018
251. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department is in discussions with Meath County Council regarding school provision in the county particularly in areas in which house building has begun again. [4409/18]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas. My Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. The GIS uses data from a range of sources, including the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Department of Social Protection and my Department's own databases. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises at primary and post primary level to determine where additional school accommodation is needed.
Where demographic data indicate that additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may, depending on the circumstances, be provided through either one, or a combination of, the following:
- Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,
- Extending the capacity of a school or schools,
- Provision of a new school or schools.
As with other school planning areas nationwide, the demographic data for the Meath school planning areas is being kept under ongoing review by my Department to take account of updated data. My Department is currently engaging with the local authority in relation to additional residential development in Meath as part of this review and it is anticipated that this exercise will be concluded shortly.
In addition, my Department is included among the prescribed bodies to whom local authorities are statutorily obliged to send draft development and local area plans or proposed variations to development plans for comment and observations. This enables local authorities to reserve future school sites in areas designated for proposed housing development.
In February 2017, my Department contributed to the Meath County Council County Development Plan 2019 – 2025 and has been in further consultation with the local authority regarding the review of the plan.
