Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

A lot of issues have been already covered. Perhaps the witnesses would elaborate further on the Protestant ethos issue. I have listened carefully to what everybody had to say. There are little nuances with which people have a problem and are seeking clarification on from the Department of Education and Skills. There are also fundamental issues in regard to the Traveller and migrant communities. I know that the position of the Department is that it is not possible to treat Travellers specifically because everybody should be treated the same. However, some communities have particular needs. Where a community's needs are not being met within the education sector, there must specific criteria put in place to assist them. The Department needs to look at this. I do not understand why this is a problem.

The CSO has data on the number of special needs and Traveller children in this country. It also has information on migrant children, although this data may not, because of the movement of migrants, be as firm. Surely it is possible, based on this information, to plan for future educational needs in particular areas. The Department needs to look at school provision within areas and plan ahead based on CSO information. I do not understand why doing so is a problem. Ireland is a small community unlike the United States where it may be difficult to pull this information together.

The issue in relation to section 29 is one for everybody. Perhaps the Department would take another look at that. Everybody believes it is putting too much pressure on the boards of management. It has been stated that there is transparency in regard to enrolment and so on, which I welcome, and that as a result the number of future appeals will reduce. If this is the case, why then cannot an independent appeals process be put in place in this regard? I am not sure whether that suggestion is practical or whether parents would go straight to this process rather than engage first with the local process. The strength of the local process and transparency of the system will determine whether cases will be appealed. I would welcome a response from the departmental officials on the removal of the parent rule as proposed by the Irish Traveller Movement and on what else could be put in place within the Department to ensure that children from the Traveller and migrant communities and children with special needs are specifically catered for.