Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

To pick up on Deputy Shortall's point, in the consultation that was held in Croke Park, the principal of Stratford College, which has a Jewish ethos, stated that they have arranged it that religious classes are held very early in the day and the rest of the day is for general academic subjects. I think one has to bear in mind that some schools have already worked out the particular practices that suit the student and parent body. It would be a very positive to allow students to take religious instruction in the first half hour and the children who do not wish to join the religious instruction classes could skip that class. It takes the burden off the teachers and the school principal. For instance in many multidenominational schools the practice in regard to preparation for Holy Communion, as Deputy Thomas Byrne referenced, is to arrange for the instruction in preparation for the Holy Communion class after the school day has been completed. By and large that has been working very well. I can understand that Deputy Byrne states that he is not aware of any of these instances but I am making the case that in parts of Ireland, particularly in the north and west side of Dublin, the level of diversity is unlike the experience in any other part of the country. I accept the point that Deputy Byrne made. Of course the parents, who are parishioners in the local parish, value their local school and they also do that in areas that are diverse, but the level of diversity must be dealt with in a fair and reasonable way.