Minister confirms that the shortage of primary school places in Fingal will continue to worsen

​Local Fianna Fáil TD, Darragh O’Brien says that the current lack of sufficient capacity in over-subscribed primary schools in North County Dublin can only be expected to worsen in light of the Government’s inaction.
In information received by the Deputy through a tabled Parliamentary Question, the Minister for Education has confirmed that there are no plans to address the severe shortage of school places in parts of Fingal. The issue is particularly acute in Kinsealy, Malahide and Portmarnock.  

O’Brien said, “The Government has been far too slow in dealing with this crisis to date. I have been raising this escalating problem for years and it is crippling the effective provision of education in our area.
“There has never been a greater need to develop more school accommodation in our county, especially as the population is steadily rising and has been for quite some time. I’ve consistently brought this to the Minister’s attention in a bid to kickstart forward planning.
“Now that the Government have confirmed to me they will make no effort whatsoever to address the shortages of school places, the chronic situation is set to continue as we approach the forthcoming school year.
“It is incredibly frustrating that the Minister and his Department are wholly unwilling to acknowledge the shortage of school places for children across Fingal and continue to ignore the educational needs of children in Kinsealy, Malahide and Portmarnock.
“This is a problem that won’t go away. In fact it’s going to continue to get worse. I believe it’s my responsibility as a local elected representative to press for action until such a time that parents no longer face the pressure of finding a school place for their child,” he concluded.