Jim D'Arcy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Education and Skills here to discuss the progress report on the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector. The report states that many schools are "very welcoming and open towards pupils of all backgrounds. However, all of these schools may not reflect these good practices fully in their written policies". In this country we are now very much moving in a pluralist direction. Most of our schools are under the patronage of the churches but accommodation should be made for people from all backgrounds. The report continued: "This situation is unique among developed countries." There are a lot of things in the report which would be useful to discuss.

Before I finish I wish to say that I have great respect for Senator Darragh O'Brien - the utmost respect. However, he was a little bit harsh on John Bruton today.