Mr. Paul Collins:

We are definitely not critical of other forms of education, not in the slightest. There is much evidence there is a demand for integrated education out there. I went to a Catholic primary and secondary school and I never had the opportunity to speak to someone of the opposite religion until I left the school. My children go to integrated primary school and secondary school and they have gotten to meet people from different faith backgrounds and different parts of the world, such as Italy, Spain and Brazil. That was at both primary and secondary school level. There is a world of difference.

There is nothing wrong with the Catholic education in Ireland. I received great qualifications - X, Y, and Z. I would not be critical of it at all. If one is looking at the fundamental they want to change and move forward in Northern Ireland society, the core of that surely must be Protestants, Catholics, other faith groups and non-faith groups mixing together in the same school, the same classroom and everyday. That is how we will move things forward in Northern Ireland. One only can understand when one gets to meet someone from a different background.