Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I wish to reiterate what all of the members have said. Through the Chair, I believe that section 7(3) of the Act is directly related to admissions to the schools. The provision is fundamentally tied to it. The baptism barrier is a huge issue in admission policies as it allows discrimination across the board. It makes me wonder the following. Why have we discussed the Labour Party's Equal Status (Amendment) Bill for more than a year? Perhaps our discussions have been a complete waste of time and it should have been discussed by the Oireachtas Select Committee on Justice and Equality. It is bizarre if we have been misguided in that way and the legislation will be delayed.

A huge issue of discrimination, along with the baptism barrier, is discrimination on the grounds of special educational needs. That is why I echo what Deputy Byrne has said. I am massively disappointed that the amendment that gives the National Council for Special Education the power to compel schools to open autistic units has been ruled out order.