Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Section 10 of the Education Act 1998 provides for the recognition of new schools by the Minister. The application procedure for the process involved was revised in 2002 based on the recommendations in the report of the Commission on School Accommodation, Criteria and Procedures for the Recognition of New Primary Schools.

The application procedure involves a number of stages, including formal notification of intention to apply for recognition; public consultation and identification of need; formal application for recognition; assessment of application by the new schools advisory committee, NSAC, which consults interested parties and reports to the Minister; decision by the Minister; and provision for appeal by the applicant to an independent appeals committee.

In December 2002, the NSAC was established as part of the process. On receipt of the notifications of intent, the NSAC initiates a public and transparent consultation process and assesses the applications against the published criteria. The NSAC's annual programme of work culminates in a report to the Minister with recommendations on the granting of recognition to applicants.

The criteria for recognition of new primary schools, including Gaelscoileanna, are such that there must be evidence of the following: the proposed school meets a need that cannot reasonably be met within existing provision; the local community is consulted in advance; the patron has been registered as such by the Minister for Education and Science; a board of management will be appointed in accordance with the requirements of the Department of Education and Science; the rules for national schools will be complied with; the proposed school has a minimum initial enrolment of 17 junior infants and a minimum projected enrolment of 51 pupils for the third year of operation; all pupils are at least four years of age on 30 September of the year in which the school is due to commence operation.

Furthermore, in accordance with section 10(2)(e) of the Education Act 1998, proposed interim school accommodation must comply with the Planning and Development Act 2000, the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, the Building Regulations 1991 to 1997, including the building control regulations, and the Health, Safety and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2001, and any modifications, statutory instruments or orders made in accordance with these Acts. There must also be evidence that the school will follow the primary school curriculum of the Department of Education and Science and employ recognised primary school teachers.

The Department grant-aids teacher salaries and temporary accommodation for newly recognised schools. The rates of such grant are 95% of rental costs for primary schools with permanent recognition and 75% of rental costs for primary schools with provisional recognition. School authorities pay a local contribution of the balance. Where the local contribution exceeds €3,175 for expenditure incurred in the financial year January to December, rental payments are grant-aided by my Department at a rate of 100%.

Officials in the school planning section of my Department are available to advise any party who wishes to set up a new school and details are also available on my Department's website. Any party proposing to establish a gaelscoil can also seek assistance from Gaelscoileanna, the umbrella body for all-Irish schools.