I thank Deputy O'Reilly very much for the question about additional school places in Fingal West. I thank her for raising this matter, which gives me the opportunity to set out to the Dáil the position with regard to a shortfall of school places at both primary and secondary levels in Fingal West. It is an absolute priority to ensure that every child in the State has access to a school place. The Department of Education is continually planning for and investing in existing and new schools to ensure this is the case. The annual enrolment process for new junior infants at primary level and new first years at post-primary level is a very large-scale operation that is transacted at close to 4,000 schools throughout the country, involving some 140,000 pupils. Enrolment pressures can be driven by duplications of applications, applications from outside an area, and school-of-choice factors. Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested more than €5.7 billion in schools throughout the country, involving the completion of more than 1,150 school building projects and with construction under way at approximately 300 other projects, which includes 40 new school buildings. The 300 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of more than €1.3 billion. The Department has invested more than €1.3 billion in school infrastructure in County Dublin over the period since 2020. With regard to Fingal West, there are a number of active projects at primary and post-primary levels in progress, which will increase capacity. These projects include a new school building project for St. Molaga's National School in Balbriggan, which will provide 19 mainstream classrooms and two special education classrooms. The project is currently at stage 3 - procurement. In addition, there is a new school building project under way for Rush National School, which will provide 32 mainstream classrooms and two special education classrooms. The project is at construction stage. A project was also recently completed for Rush and Lusk Educate Together National School, providing a brand new, state-of-the-art 16-classroom school and two special education classrooms. At post-primary level, there is a project under way for St. Joseph's Secondary School in Rush, which will provide accommodation for 1,000 pupils plus four special education classrooms. This project is currently at stage 2b. There is also an extension under way at Balbriggan Community College to provide for a long-term projected enrolment of 1,000 pupils, with two special education classrooms. A project was also completed recently for Lusk Community College. This provided accommodation for a long-term projected enrolment of 1,000 and two special education classrooms. Nationally, Ireland has been experiencing growth in overall post-primary enrolment, and this is projected to continue in many parts of the country for the coming years before declining. However, first-year enrolments are expected to be found to have peaked nationally in the 2023-24 school year. They will begin to decline from this year. At primary level, there is generally good capacity across the country, although there are some areas under continuing demographic pressure. While there can be enrolment pressures in some areas experiencing significant demographic growth, at both primary and post-primary level there is school accommodation capacity either in or near all areas of the country. To assist with the enrolment of children without a school place, the Department shares information on available capacity with the education welfare service, which is part of Tusla's educational support service and which operates under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention. My Department has put in place a number of measures to support post-primary schools in managing and effectively co-ordinating their admissions processes. These measures include improvements to the post-primary online database student registration system to help identify students who have accepted multiple places, writing to parents of sixth class children with advice on the admissions process, including Fingal West, and strengthening the data-sharing arrangements with schools in areas of enrolment pressure.

Sentiment score: 0.27

The Deputy mentioned someone waiting for an ASD class. Since I was appointed just over four weeks ago, we have had considerable engagement with senior officials in the Department and the National Council for Special Education to ensure sufficient places for children with additional needs come September. We have moved the discussion back from one later in the year. Our aim is to move it back further to have certainly for all children, particularly those with additional needs. Families are under enough pressure. I am working with the officials in the Department, and I feel very strongly about this matter. Like every other Deputy, I have met the parents and know the challenges and issues that exist. On school places, we understand that huge population growth is taking place in Fingal West. We also know there are issues with getting school places. The important thing is that the parents continue to engage with the school authorities. The Department is constantly monitoring where the pressures are to try to address this. It is a fact that the Department, together with school communities the length and breadth of the country, is going to work might and main to ensure every child has a proper place, be it at primary or secondary level, come September. The information needs to be with parents and children much earlier in the school cycle.

Sentiment score: 0.21

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of the criteria for school patronage. He mentioned a specific issue in his own constituency. The reply I have relates to the specifics of how school patronage works. I will outline that and might come back to him later on the specific issue, if that is okay. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. It gives me the opportunity to report to Dáil Éireann the position with regard to the selection of school patronage for newly established schools. Since 2011, new arrangements have been in place for the establishment of new schools involving the forecasting of demand for school places based on the demographic exercises carried out by the Department of Education. New schools are only established in areas of demographic growth as the resources available for school infrastructure have to be prioritised to meet the needs of areas of significant population increase so as to ensure that every child has a school place. These new arrangements also give an opportunity to patrons to apply for the patronage of new schools. The criteria used in deciding on the patronage of new schools place a particular emphasis on parental preference, as the Deputy referenced, language preferences and an analysis of existing provision in the areas where the schools are being established. This approach is underpinned by a 2011 Government decision. The patronage process is open to all patron bodies and prospective patrons. An online patronage process system, OPPS, has been in operation under the Department since 2018 and provides objective information to parents in the relevant school planning areas to assist them in making an informed choice about their preferred model of patronage and language of instruction for the new school. When the Department announces that a new school entity is required, a prospective patron can choose the school it wishes to apply for and complete an application form in that regard for each school for submission to the Department. The Department provides details on the OPPS of the school and the list of applicant patrons which have applied for patronage of the school. Parents can then access the appropriate survey for their area, to input the details of the eligible child or children and to select their preferred patron and language of instruction, with the exception of the Irish-medium primary Gaelscoileanna that have been designated as an Irish medium prior to the opening of the OPPS. In the case of those schools, parents can select their preferred patron. Parental preferences, as well as other considerations, such as the extent of diversity of provision in an area, are key to the decision-making process and to whether at post-primary level a school would take the form of a Gaelscoileanna or whether, if English medium, the school would include an Irish-medium unit. The patronage process for new schools is overseen by an external independent advisory group. The group then reports to the Minister on the patronage of the school. Following their consideration of the Department's assessment reports, the new schools establishment group, NSEG, submits a report with recommendations to the Minister for consideration and final decision. The assessment reports and the NSEG recommendations for all such patronage processes are made available on the education section of the Government website.

Sentiment score: 0.13

Some of the long-established Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí, primary and post-primary schools that have developed across the country in the past 25 or 30 years, contrary to the criteria we now apply, were set up by local groups and in small entities. They have flourished and grown. I take the point that certain criteria are stifling development. I will take this specific issue back to the Department and will get a reply. I can continue on in relation to patronage. The Deputy fully understands the issues that are there and the system in place. I will not labour the point. I will take back his concerns and will see that a reply is issued to him. I understand what he is saying.

Sentiment score: 0.03