Why is the Government demonising them every day?

Families in Kildare North are still reporting that their children do not have confirmed secondary school places for September. This is despite the apply to school pilot programme the Minister for education introduced in Celbridge and other locations around the country to provide earlier clarity and reduce duplicate applications. The overlap between towns in Kildare North is delaying offers and leaving parents and, more importantly, sixth class children in complete uncertainty. If this pilot is genuinely producing more robust data, then that information needs to be used to identify where additional capacity is required. This is particularly pertinent to Maynooth Community College, Maynooth Post Primary School and Salesian College Celbridge. I ask the Minister to ask the Department of education and the Minister how the data from the apply to school pilot is being used to ensure that the children still awaiting places in Kildare North receive timely offers and how it will inform capacity planning moving forward.

I thank the Deputy for raising those very important issues on behalf of his constituency. I will raise them with the Minister for education and ask her to revert to him on the policy position directly.