Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)

This is an issue which has come up on several occasions in recent budgets because of the fears of minority religions that the education of pupils in their particular ethos has been threatened by budget cuts or other cuts in the past. The Minister will be aware that their fears were realised by his predecessor, Batt O'Keeffe, not very long ago.

At this time of year it is appropriate that representatives in this House should at least put in a plea that in the incoming budget, although I do not expect the Minister to give me any assurances on that, the ethos of minority religions will be protected. It might be helpful if I reminded the Minister that this issue was raised in the previous Dáil by no less a person than the then Deputy Enda Kenny and Deputy Brian Hayes in support of the plea I make now. It was also supported at the time these funds were threatened by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, who supported the right of minority faiths to educate their own flock in their own ethos.

I ask the Minister to bear in mind when the budget discussions come up that there should be no further cuts in the budget for minority schools. It is not just Protestants who believe that. Other minority schools believe this is a right which should not be threatened. There are many fears among Protestant schools that they will have to close if their funding is cut any further. The evidence for that is obvious because the tradition of paying special grants to minority schools was guaranteed originally by the then Minister for Education and one of the Minister's predecessors, Donogh O'Malley, who in 1967 gave this pledge which, unfortunately, has now been broken.

One of the reasons minority schools need a grant which differentiates them from the normal schools here is because of their need to establish boarding schools. Boarding schools by their very nature are much more expensive and the reason for the pupils attending boarding schools is obvious. As a minority with small numbers they are spread-eagled geographically and a school that is suitable for their education must be located in an area which they can all attend rather than only a few of them attending.

In view of the fact that further cuts would be threatening to their ethos and reduce pupil-teacher ratios, and that they are suggesting that schools may have to close if there are further cuts, and given also that they are already stretched, will the Minister consider favourably a plea that their ethos will be protected and that there should be no further financial stringency imposed upon them?

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