Senator John McGahon- speech from 1 Feb 2021

Thanks Cahirlock, and I suppose just before I start on this commencement debate, it's just to thank you Cahirlock for selecting this and to apologise to you for before Christmas for you selecting me for commencement debate and I got my days mixed up, so I'd just like to take this opportunity to apologise to you on the floor of the House for that. Minister, the reason I'm bringing up this issue today is because the Haynanstown area and the Blackrock area just south of Dundalk and County Lowth is one of the fastest growing areas in our entire county in terms of population. Currently, there's 1,650 houses in for planning permission in the whole area. In the last three years, we've seen the building of over 500 houses. At the minute in Blackrock, which is just right beside it, there's two primary schools which are completely full. There's one primary school in Haynanstown as well and that's completely full. So the reason I'm bringing this commencement debate to the House today is really to acknowledge that there's been a huge population boost in that area. It's only going to continue to grow. It's one of the most popular places to live in County Lowth at the moment and we need to plan suitably for education in that area. So Lowth and Meath Education and Training Board, the ETB, they've already identified a very suitable site in the Haynanstown area. They've got a valuation for it as well. It's really good value for money and they've put in a request to the Department in that regard. I really think it's important, I suppose, that the Department of Education make this a priority in terms of identifying a suitable school location. I really think it's about planning far ahead and as I've mentioned to you there, we have seen substantial development in that area in terms of housing. And it's one of the fastest growing places actually in County Louth for the provision of housing and Louth County Council are doing a wonderful job there also. So the reason I'm coming here today, Minister, really is I want to hear, rather than me telling you why we need to do it, I really want to hear the views from you as a Minister and at the Department to get your views on it, to get the Department's views on it and to see how we move forward with this very important issue. Thank you for raising the matter and providing the opportunity to clarify the current position in relation to the provision of additional primary school places in Dundalk County, Louth. And in order to plan for school provision, which you mentioned there, and to analyse the relevant demographic data, my department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and it uses a Geographical Information System, or a GIS, which uses the data from a range of sources, including child benefit data from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and the Department's own school enrolment databases to identify, which you alluded to, where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. And the Department has strengthened this process this year through specific initiatives, such as enhanced engagement with local authorities, and I note what you're saying about the vast growing demographic in Dundalk, in relation to the information on residential development incorporated in the analysis process, also additional engagement with patron bodies in relation to their local knowledge on school place requirements. Education and training boards, diocesan offices, and national patron bodies, such as Educate Together, on Forest Betunachta, which looks at Geil Schoolina, can also be an important source of local knowledge. And this will add to information also provided to the Department by local authorities or individual schools. Also, it's the utilisation of information gleaned from schools under the National Inventory of School Capacity, completed by individual schools last year as part of the primary online database. And in a regular year, Chair, addressing the increased demands for school places, whilst challenging, is manageable, generally through the utilisation of existing spare capacity within schools, rental, temporary accommodation, or other short-term measures pending the delivery of permanent accommodation. But the Dundalk primary school planning area is made up of 29 primary schools. And in relation to the provision of additional primary school places for Dundalk, my department has recently approved, Deputy, the expansion of St. Francis National School in Black Rock to a two-stream, 16-classroom school. And the project approved will provide an additional eight permanent classrooms and includes a two-classroom special education needs base, which obviously, as the Minister for Special Education, I'm particularly pleased about that. And the design team has been appointed already for the project and it's currently at an early architectural planning stage. And the project has been devolved to Louth, Meath, Education and Training Board for delivery. And pending completion of this project, and in order to meet the immediate accommodation needs of St. Francis National School, my department also approved the temporary accommodation of two mainstream classrooms for the current school year, as well as a further mainstream classroom and one special education needs classroom for the 2021-2022 school year. And it's envisaged that all of this accommodation, Deputy, will be in place for the start of the next school year. And this additionality is expected to cater for the future needs in the Dundalk area. And my department also understands that there is also further capacity within existing primary schools in the school planning area. And I also wish to advise the Senator that updates in relation to all building projects are provided on my department's website. And this is updated regularly. But once again, I want to thank the Senator for your particular interest in this area. And I think, I hope that I've outlined the position in a satisfactory way to you in relation to the primary school provision in Dundalk. Thank you very much, Minister, for your very comprehensive reply. It really is very much appreciated. I suppose just two points I'd like to make about it is, first of all, the Dundalk planning, the Dundalk planning area, which is utilised by your department, I really believe, and it may be too late for this debate, but we need to treat the Haynes Town and Black Rock area completely separately. If you can imagine it, Dundalk is a town of 40-odd thousand people. The Black Rock, Haynes Town area, they started off as small villages on the outskirts of Dundalk originally. They need to be treated as two totally distinct areas because it is completely different, the needs in that area, from the needs of housing or for the needs of education in North Dundalk. So that's a difficulty I think the department have with encompassing Black Rock, Haynes Town and the wider Dundalk area. They really should be treated separately. I really welcome the points you've made about this in Francis National School and Black Rock. However, where I'm talking about, again, is, I suppose, a slightly distinct area. It's the Haynes Town and Hagerstown area. And that's where the majority of housing has been built in the next couple of years. And that's where we really need to look for providing a new primary school, I think. That's what the Louth and Meath ETB are trying to do as well. It is really welcomed in Black Rock, but it's a totally separate issue. And I really think we need to cater for the children in the Haynes Town and Black Rock area. And that's why I'm bringing this debate to the floor today. Thank you, Minister. Yeah, just to let you know, Deputy, I think I was calling you Deputy earlier on. We're in the Dáil, the old Dáil chamber. So apologies, Senator, for that. But just to say that, obviously, you know, the building and planning unit within the Department has its own way of dealing with and forecasting in terms of providing school places and indeed schools into the future. And I mentioned to you earlier on about the 314 school planning areas. But I will bring what you have said today, Senator, to the attention of the Minister for Education, who really is over the remit in relation to the building and planning of schools. And as I said already, there are 29 primary schools in existence in the Dundalk primary school planning area. That's not to say that there isn't a case to be made for what you say about Haynes Town and Black Rock. And I think it may be worth your while, Senator, putting in a particular submission perhaps to the Department, you know, in writing, other than just a commencement notice and perhaps setting out the reasons that you articulated there, particularly if there's 40,000 extra people and the increasing demographic that you've alluded to there, it may be worthwhile putting in something in writing to the Department. Goan maith agat. Goan maith agat. Goan maith agat. Seanna d'or. And thank you for explaining the situation in relation to prior to Christmas. I know you were double booked on that day and you were at a constituency issue that you had to deal with.