Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Schools make all sorts of different provision. What we want is to make a progressive improvement. I do not believe we can make a one-size-fits-all regulation when they all face different situations. Some schools allow children go to the library or resource rooms under supervision. Some pupils go to a classroom where they can participate in other lessons. Some schools are able to stagger religious classes to facilitate pupils moving from a class to class. Some parents choose to collect the children for the periods of religious instruction and do other activities. I do not believe we can have a regulation which provides a one-size-fits-all approach to this.

The right approach is the one I outlined to Deputy Shortall in that this is an issue for the school community to develop. We will have a parents and students charter which will set out what is fair provision in general terms.

There will be a provision to enable parents who are not happy with the way in which the school is providing for their child to take the issue further. We also provide in the Bill that the school will be obliged to set out the level of provision from the outset in order that when parents enrol their children they will know what approach the school takes. The package is fair and reasonable in achieving improved provision in this area. That is the way to go. It is not the case that we on Marlborough Street decide for 4,000 schools and that there is a central regulation that sums up how it should be done. That is not the tenor of the approach of the education system.