Vol. 543 No. 2
799 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the circumstances and regulations under which catchment boundaries were established; and his views on whether huge demographic and other changes have since taken place and that the whole issue of catchment boundaries should now be reviewed as a result. [26400/01]
For the purposes of post-primary education provision, the country is divided into catchment areas, each of which has its own post-primary education centre. These areas were drawn up in the late 1960s in the context of the free education scheme. The catchment boundaries were determined following consultation with local educational interests and the intention was that certain primary schools would feed exclusively into each centre. A relatively small number of primary schools are shared between two or more centres. There are no specific regulations governing the determination of catchment areas.
For the majority of denominational primary schools, the parish boundaries effectively define the catchment area. However, these boundaries would not be relevant in the case of multi-denominational and all-Irish primary schools.
The revision of catchment areas is addressed by my Department as the need arises. It is the practice in my Department to consult with local educational interests where any such adjustments are being contemplated. If the Deputy is aware of a particular area where such a revision would seem to be appropriate and provides me with the details, I will have the matter addressed immediately.
