School Enrolments Dail Éireann — 2026-05-28 ============================================================ Jen Cummins (SD), Dublin South-Central It is good to hear that the Minister of State is using section 37A. It is important that all schools take their fair share of caring for children in their communities, particularly in areas where there might be a high number of fee-paying schools. If it is a fee-paying school that is located nearest to a child, the child also needs to be given a place. It is the same with every school. As we move towards a model where the local school is where the child goes, we still have a long way to go to get there. I am glad that the portal is creating options for parents to know what the situation is, because that was the whole plan the Department had. I am glad it is working out. I would obviously like more information, particularly as I am in opposition and am contacted by so many people. If the Department has a handle on this and is able to work with every family, it gives me great solace coming into the summer to know that every family will have a place for their child come September and that if a school building is not ready or there are glitches, there is a plan. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-28/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:08+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-28