Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I support the structured dialogue process that has been initiated between the Government and the churches. Does the Taoiseach plan to widen that process to include the body politic as a whole? The process at present is confined to the Government and the churches. I understand that the churches have set out their priorities and concerns about issues they wish to have addressed as part of that process. The Taoiseach said some of the churches and faith groups had published some documents in that regard. Has the Government prepared or issued any documents in response to the issues they raised? I refer in particular to the education area, specifically the comments and suggestion made by the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, that his church was open to a new discussion with the State in respect of educational provision and how the patronage of schools might be organised in the future. In that context, has there been any discussion of the issues raised by some of the Protestant churches in respect of the proposed transfer of teachers from Catholic schools, which are closing down, to the panels from which Protestant schools draw their teaching staff?

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