Permanent school accommodation for new Dublin Rathdown schools

Deputy Olivia Mitchell: I ask the Acting Chairman to convey my thanks to the Ceann Comhairle for choosing this issue because it is extremely urgent.   While I am sorry the Minister herself cannot be present, she spoke to me earlier and is aware of the issue, which in a nutshell is the absence of permanent sites for the four schools that are planned for what still is Dublin South, although it eventually will become Dublin Rathdown.   I acknowledge that finding a location for a school is difficult even at the best of times, when the population was not rapidly expanding, when nearly all schools were faith-based and a set procedure was in place that everybody understood and to which they subscribed.   The population is now expanding rapidly, we are moving to a new, more varied patronage system and we have a new catchment area basis for pupil selection.   There will be problems in this regard and there are additional problems in Dublin South because there is a huge land shortage and what land there is is extremely expensive.   While I am aware this is a problem, from the perspectives of school management and parents not knowing where the schools will be located is most unsatisfactory.   Parents everywhere need to know where their kids are going to school.   These are long-term decisions, in that it is eight years for primary school and another six years for secondary school and parents must be able to make decisions on how their kids will be transported to school.   Major decisions made by families are influenced by the location of schools.   They influence job opportunities for the parents and where one buys one’s house, not to mention the quality of life issues for children who, if they cannot go to school where they live, may be put into schools remote from home and perhaps condemned to sitting in traffic jams for a good portion of the day over the next 14 years.   It really is an important issue to know or to have clarity about where one’s kids will go to school.

  Two of the schools are primary schools that already have been in existence for three or four years and five years, respectively.   One is in Stepaside, the other is in Ballinteer and the school in Stepaside has been in two temporary locations since it was set up.   I need not explain how unsatisfactory this is from the point of view of the school and the parents.   It is difficult for the school to plan ahead or to attract pupils and it jeopardises the school’s viability if nobody knows where it will be located.   A post-primary school is planned and thank goodness it is, because it is really badly needed.   It is even more pressing because it is due to start in 2016 and neither a temporary nor a permanent location has been identified yet.   Obviously, any sensible parents will be making decisions about where their children are to go to school, if they have not already long since made them.   It offered hope that they could go to school in the constituency but now they are being put into schools far from home and this really is jeopardising the long-term prospects for the school.   I appreciate that a secondary school takes a fair amount of land but this issue must be put to bed for parents in order that they can plan where their children will to attend school.   As for the fourth school, briefly I appreciate the Department has only recognised the need for it in the last couple of months.   While it is to meet the serious needs in the Stillorgan-Goatstown area, I can tell the Minister of State parents are absolutely frantic to know where that school will be located.   Even though parents are told a school will be provided, unless they see physical evidence that a site has been identified, they cannot have any faith that it will turn up and this jeopardises the school, as parents will search elsewhere for locations.   Consequently, I would appreciate it were the Minister of State to bring clarity at least about some of these schools.

   Deputy Joe McHugh: On behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O’Sullivan, I thank the Deputy for raising the matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline the current position in respect of the permanent locations for Ballinteer Educate Together primary school, Stepaside Educate Together primary school, the new primary school to serve Stillorgan-Goatstown and the new post-primary school to serve Ballinteer-Stepaside.   The Department of Education and Skills 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 and the Department of Social Protection in addition to the Department’s own databases.   It also uses data from the local authorities.   With this information, the Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises at primary and post-primary level to determine where additional school accommodation is needed.   The need for the four schools in question was identified as part of this analysis.   Ballinteer Educate Together primary school opened in September 2012 and is in temporary accommodation at present.   The Department has identified a potential site for the location of the permanent accommodation and is in ongoing discussions with the local authority regarding its suitability.

  The Minister is pleased to inform the Deputy that a site identified as being a suitable location for the permanent school building for Stepaside Educate Together primary school has been acquired with the assistance of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.   Officials will be in contact shortly with the patron body in this regard and the Department is working to advance the proposed building project for the school.   The new primary school to serve Goatstown-Stillorgan was one of the new primary schools announced by the Minister in February 2015 to open in 2016.   The patronage determination process for this school will take place later this year or early in 2016.   In the meantime, officials in my Department are working to find a suitable site for the school.   Options for interim start-up accommodation are being examined at present and discussions will take place with the patron body in that respect.   A suitable permanent site for a new post-primary school to serve the Ballinteer-Stepaside area has been identified and the acquisition process is under way.   Given the commercial sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally, the Minister is not in a position to provide further details at this time.   The Minister can, however, assure the Deputy the acquisition of a new site for the school is a priority for the Department and the patron body, Educate Together, will be informed of the location for the school as soon as it is possible to do so.   Options for interim start-up accommodation are being examined at present and discussions will take place with the patron body in this respect.

  I thank the Deputy again on behalf of the Minister for giving me the opportunity to outline to the Dáil the current position regarding the permanent location of the four schools in question and thank her for her comments.   The provision of permanent accommodation for the four schools to which she refers is a priority for the Department of Education and Skills and the schools in question provide critical school places to meet specific demographic demand.

   Deputy Olivia Mitchell: I thank the Minister of State for that information and I am particularly pleased to note that a permanent site has been acquired for the Stepaside school, which is welcome.   My main concern, if I have one, is about the secondary school.   The Minister of State has indicated that a site has been identified but due to commercial sensitivity, it cannot be indicated.

To be honest, I have been getting that answer for a long time now and I wonder if that site is ever going to be acquired or if there is a problem that is insurmountable.   Huge problems are arising because of the lack of knowledge around where the school will be located.   In regard to the reference to the catchment area problems, while the catchment area is supposed to include Stepaside and Ballinteer, both are diverse areas and very far apart from one another.   Parents in one area are concerned that their children will not be able to get to the school.   Identification of a location for the school could result in the release of places for children living near the school even though they may not be in the catchment area.   This issue is causing a lot of angst in the area.   I am asking that the Minister ensure there is a sense of urgency about acquiring that site and making an announcement in that regard.

  Having said all of that, I appreciate the problem of identifying land in a constituency like mine, where land for any purpose is not only scarce but extremely expensive.   In recognition that our population is growing and there will be need for more schools all over Dublin for a number of years to come will the Minister consider the introduction of legislation which would allow for compulsory purchase orders in respect of land for schools, as is done in respect of land for the provision of roads?   I believe educational infrastructure is at least as important as roads infrastructure.

   Deputy Joe McHugh: I will convey the Deputy’s sentiments to the Minister for Education and Skills.   The process of acquiring sites in my own county is similarly lengthy.   The ETB, as a patron body, works closely with the local authority under the new systems now in place.   That is a national directive.   Obviously, there are commercial sensitivities around the acquisition of properties.   It is a lengthy process.   I am aware of the use of compulsory purchase orders in situations where issues arise in relation to road infrastructure.   Obviously, there is a public need for educational infrastructure also, particularly in the city where land is at a premium and the population is expanding.   As I said, I will convey the Deputy’s sentiments to the Minister.