Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 14:

In page 6, to delete lines 13 to 21 and substitute the following:"(b) a school to which section 7(3)(c) of the Act of 2000 applies, whose objective is to provide education in an environment which promotes certain religious values, the admission statement of the school shall include a statement that the school does not discriminate in relation to the admission of students where it admits persons of a particular religious denomination in preference to others if it is oversubscribed from within its own catchment area and, in the case of a refusal, it is proved that the refusal is essential to maintain the ethos of the school.".

As I am not happy with the wording of the amendment - it is not as I drafted it - I will withdraw it. Its purpose is to prohibit schools from discriminating when they are not oversubscribed. The Minister said they could not discriminate on religious grounds if they were not oversubscribed. I would like him to confirm this. The amendment is an attempt to tie the issue to the catchment area proposal, but, as I said, I am not satisfied with it as presented. It is not as I drafted it and as it does not read right, I will withdraw it. It relates to the catchment area proposal, my position on which I am reserving until Report Stage.