Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

I thank the Minister and welcome the fact that she is engaged in talks with Educate Together. The organisation is genuinely in crisis in terms of its being able to run the service it offers to multi-denominational schools. It receives only €39,800 per annum. It is estimated it will spend €500,000 alone this year. The point the Minister makes that many of the new schools are Educate Together emphasises the growing costs on that sector and the fact that parents are choosing this option more and more. The second biggest religious grouping in the 2002 census is people of no religion. Obviously, Educate Together schools cater not just for this category but for people of particular religious denominations as well. Will the Minister address the crisis in their funding at this time? Will she acknowledge that it suited the State and the churches as well that until relatively recent times the vast majority of schools were denominational? However, we live in a changing society. There is a demand from parents for this type of education. Will the Minister accept that there is an obligation, if not under the UN's decision, at least under Article 42.3.1° of the Constitution, that the State needs to provide for parental choice in this area? Will she treat this as a matter of urgency in terms of addressing the genuine needs of people who choose this type of education for their children?

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