Mr. Pat O'Mahony:

I will make a couple of points about the appeal system. Something along the lines of what is in place, under section 29, could be made available to deal with really difficult issues. Many students have found that they cannot gain access to the school of their choice, but if there is a school down the road from them, we need to establish a different system to review the matter on a group basis. Also, Tusla or a similar body should take on the role of assisting that group of parents to find a suitable school rather than have everybody feel he or she has an entitlement to his or her day in court, resulting in the matter being drawn out. In these instances young people can find themselves out of school for periods of time.

We did not come here to promote the idea of having a community national school but to address the Bill in an objective manner. I am not an expert on the topic, but we see having a community national school as a way in which the State can put in place a model for a school that could cater to and nurture the needs of all young people and families in a community, irrespective of their beliefs. Obviously, there are limitations to what could be done and there are huge challenges to be faced. However, the model has a lot to offer.