Rónán Mullen (Independent)
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I welcome the experts and witnesses. It is great to have them with us. I thank them for their insights and for sharing their expertise. There are many questions I could ask, but it would not be fair to expect that there would be research available that would answer everyone. Following on from what Deputy Ó Cathasaigh asked about where Ireland stands relative to other countries, a question Dr. Mazzone answered pretty comprehensively, what do we know, if anything, about the shape of our school system? Much is made, for example, about school patronage and the fact that the majority of school patronage is in Catholic hands, as it were, even though society has changed and there is a need for more diversity in the future. I think everybody agrees about that, but some sought to put in issue the question of whether faith-based patronage is a part of the problem in the context of bullying. I hope the Christian tradition in particular would be a culture that would seek to counter bullying. I have asked about that in the past. Last week, Professor Hymel referred in passing to the decline of faith as perhaps a contributor to the problem of moral disengagement, which is a phrase used by either Dr. Mazzone or Dr. Keating. What do we know about school form or ethos? Is there any information as to how that helps or hinders the fight against bullying?