The Minister for Education Mary Hanafin needs to explain why she has failed to make any provision for Dublin 15 in her announcement of a €555 million spend on education projects.
“Despite a huge demand for a second level school in Castaheany to serve the new areas at Littlepace and Ongar, the Minister has failed so far to either acquire the site or indeed to include the building of the school in her new plans.
The new program provides for 23 new post-primary schools and 4 new primary schools. It’s difficult to know why Dublin 15 has been left out, in light of the fact that more recent developments in Adamstown in Lucan, Donabate and Balbriggan have been included”

Deputy Joan Burton raised the issue of the permanent school for the Castaheany Educate Together School and for the second level school on the first day of the new Dail session, Wed 28th September. (PQs listed below)
The Minister’s reply is virtually unchanged from six months ago, stating that she is still trying to acquire the permanent building sites.

No provision has been made either for additional second level places or indeed primary school places in the Castleknock area. Castleknock Community College is now bursting at the seams and has no P.E. hall despite the Minister’s promises. As with the Clonee area huge housing developments continue to take place in the Castleknock area, including the Phoenix Park Racecourse with 2300 units and Pelletstown in nearby Ashtown with 4500 new units.
No provision has been made for a secondary school for either of these extraordinarily large developments. It seems that Dublin 15 must once more wait at the bottom of this government’s queue for essential school facilities.