I understand that the Minister of State is taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Naughton. I appreciate him being here. I am disappointed that the Minister is not here. This matter relates to waiting lists for post-primary school places in north Kildare. This has been a persistent and growing issue in my constituency of Kildare North, which is one of the fastest growing constituencies in the State. Housing estates have been built across Maynooth, Naas, Leixlip, Celbridge, Prosperous and Clane over the past few years. This is really to be welcomed, but it has not been matched by a corresponding level of investment in the infrastructure that is desperately needed to facilitate and support the resultant population growth. School waiting lists in the area are a key indicator of what is happening in this regard.. The housing crisis bleeds into everything. It has bled into the matter of school places. It used to be the case that where an estate was built, the schools in the area would be informed about it. My mother was a school teacher and principal, and she would have known that her school would be getting so many children from a certain estate when it was built four or five years down the line. That is not the case any more because people are very lucky to be getting their first homes and getting their families well and truly under way. This is putting immense pressure on primary and post-primary schools that are being obliged to cope using the same resources and facilities they have had for decades. Over the past few weeks, I have been in touch with post-primary schools across my constituency about their waiting lists. Some of the lists are staggering. There are 190 students on the waiting list for one school alone, namely Maynooth Community College. Coláiste Chiaráin in Leixlip and Confey College between them have well over 200 children on their waiting lists. One school in Maynooth told me the Department had asked it to take on more students this year, even though it is already oversubscribed. That is really worrying. Parents in deep distress have been in touch with me over this issue. Can you imagine being told your child is as far down as 200 on a waiting list? That could mean that six or seven extra classes would be needed in a school. It is causing anxiety for the families and the children who are worried they might not be able to attend school with their friends and those with whom they were in primary school. School facilities are another major issue. The Department will be well aware of St. Patrick's national school in Celbridge and the dire straits it is in regarding its premises. The school has been operating in temporary prefabs for the past 18 years. Unbelievably, it did not make the priority list. Other schools are also waiting for facilities and this is contributing to problems. I spoke to Celbridge Community College, which has also been waiting many years for a permanent building. I was told it would be happy to take on more students, but it is simply not feasible in light of its current set-up. This is having a serious impact on students and parents who are really anxious about what will happen in September. The same could be said of St. Mary's in Naas. Planning permission for a new building was given in 2022, but the work has yet to commence. The school was delighted to see it made the priority list. I understand, however, that this school has been added to the Department's list. The projects to which I refer long overdue and the schools involved have been impacted. One principal told me that there are many issues with the single application system pilot project. The schools involved have had a meeting with the Department of education and expressed their concerns about the scheme's operation. I hope these concerns will be listened to and acted upon for next year in order that some of the issues that have been raised with me will not be repeated. I ask that the Department provide an update on its plans for improving school capacity and facilities in Kildare North in order to accommodate the growing population.

Sentiment score: 0.04

While I appreciate that the Minister is not here, I hope the Minister of State will come back to me on this because it is really frustrating. As a member of the infrastructure committee, it feels as if we criticise every week how upside down the system is. We have so many infrastructural deficits up and down the country. Next week, the committee will have officials from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, in to discuss the use of the census to forecast population and the need for infrastructure. Time and again, I get responses from the Department of Education and Youth mentioning the geographic information system, GIS. I do not believe the system is working because the principals of these secondary schools tell me that they are talking to each other, going through their lists and checking for duplicates. Parents have a right to send their children to their local school and the school their children's friends are going to attend. This would not be an issue for so many TDs in north Kildare if it was not a problem. I truly wonder if the GIS could be used to predict a bit better where people are coming from. These schools have been crying out for facilities for years and they are now at breaking point. They need extra classrooms and spaces. The new school in Maynooth is being asked to take an extra 200 children. There are two schools beside each other on the same campus, with 1,000 pupils in each. They are already at capacity. My children - my girls - were meant to go to those secondary schools. They were promised when they were in primary school that the schools would be ready for them. They went through their entire secondary schooling in the old building. They never got inside those schools and the schools are already at bursting point. This applies to St. Patrick's school as well. This is really important. I have spoken to parents whose children move down the list and when they get a place, they feel relief. However, those families should not have to go through this. We need a system that works so that parents and their kids do not have to go through this anxiety every year. It is the same thing every year. The Department says it has places, but it consistently does not have them.

Sentiment score: 0.06