Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)

I was about to make the same point. The majority of parents who have children in schools under the patronage of the Catholic Church are happy with these schools and there is considerable demand for places in them. As I stated, however, many parents find it impossible to secure access to these schools for their children. It would be a retrograde step to pander to some of the interest groups which appear to be hell bent on removing the Catholic Church from education. Let us remember the enormous contribution the Catholic Church and other religious institutions have made to educating young people in this country.

The bottom line is that the quality and standard of a child's education is what matters. Parents must be allowed to shop around and choose what type of education is best for their child. That is the right of the parent and is not the role of the State. Education begins at home. The role of the State is facilitation for parents in identifying the best possible education opportunities for their children. There is a risk that the State would assume an interfering role in education. It is about facilitation, but the primary educators should always be the parents.

I acknowledge that there are possibly too many schools under the patronage of the Catholic Church. Many people within the institution of the Catholic Church would also agree. It is necessary to offer more schools, but a diversity of schools of other religious backgrounds and multi-denominational schools. There is a demand from some parents for multi-denominational schools. There is a very successful school in my constituency with a waiting list as long as my arm.

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