Vol. 409 No. 6
165 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for Education if the review in relation to the provision of new acommodation at Longwood vocational school, County Meath, has been completed; if so, if she will outline the principal findings of the review; and if she will further outline the likely timescale for the provision of the new accommodation.
In common with all major school building projects the proposed extension for Longwood vocational school has been reviewed on a regular basis in the context of demographic trends and projected short and long term enrolments. The principal findings of the most recent review carried out by my Department in this regard are: (a) that there has been a substantial decline in enrolments at Longwood vocational school since 1980 — the present enrolment being 167 compared to 216 in 1982 (-23 per cent), (b) that the number of pupils leaving primary schools in the area in the short term, i.e., up to and including 1998, is expected to drop by 28 per cent, and (c) that birth statistics for County Meath for the period 1980-89 show a 30 per cent decline.
In the light of these statistics my Department are considering what provisions should be made for the pupils of Longwood vocational school in the future. Pending a decision in this regard it is not possible to give precise details such as a time scale for development at the school.
