Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

In the context of the education (patronage) Bill, which has been promised for over a year and is No. 4 on the A list, can I draw the Taoiseach's attention to the fact that his colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, has announced the formation of seven new primary schools, with three to be under the VECs in counties Meath and Kildare, for which there is no statutory provision? Notwithstanding that the Archbishop of Dublin has said there are too many Catholic primary schools, two new Catholic schools are to be established, with one in Galway city. A study from the university in that area indicated that 33 nationalities must be catered for in that vicinity and a school appropriate for the multicultural needs of that population should be put in place.

What is going on in the Department of Education and Science, as there seems to be a black hole in decision making on the allocation of schools? When will we have the legislation on the floor of the House to debate it openly, democratically and, if I dare say it to the leader of Fianna Fáil, in a republican manner?

See this speech in context