Dáil Questions to Minster of Education on Schools in Malahide & Portmarnock and Swords, Co Dublin

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update on the 
provision of a new secondary school for the Malahide and Portmarnock area of 
County Dublin, as announced in November 2015; and if she will make a statement 
on the matter.
- Darragh O'Brien.

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the provision of a 
new secondary school for the Swords area of County Dublin, as announced in 
November 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
-Darragh O'Brien.



* For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 26th April, 2016.
Reference Number: 8254/16, 8255/16

Freagra


Minister Jan O'Sullivan

I propose to take questions 393 and 394 together.

My Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where 
the pressure for school places will arise. The GIS uses data from the Central 
Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Department of Social Protection 
and information from my Department's own databases.

The outcome of the latest demographic exercises was that in November 2015, I 
announced the establishment of 13 new schools to open nationwide in 2017 and 
2018 to cater for increased demographic needs. One of the new post-primary 
schools will serve the Swords school planning area and one will serve the 
Malahide and Portmarnock school planning areas.  Both new schools are scheduled 
to open in 2017 and both are included in my Department's six year construction 
programme (2016-2021).  Details on the progress of all projects on this 
programme will be published on my Department's website and this will be updated 
regularly.

New school establishment procedures provide that a process is conducted to 
select the patron of a new school.  This process is due to take place shortly 
for the new schools to be established in 2017.  The new school patronage 
process  is open to all patrons (and prospective patrons) who will be required 
to provide evidence of parental demand for their particular type of school.