Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I listened to the Taoiseach's reply very carefully. I do not get the sense of any substantial engagement with the churches. The reply seemed to focus on the process and the framework. Not long after he took up office, the Taoiseach assured me in this House that he would engage actively with the various churches. In particular, he assured me that he understood the needs of smaller religious communities and their schools, which are so central to their faith. I met a number of people from the Protestant churches recently. I heard at first hand from them about the devastating impact that the Government's policy of targeting cuts on smaller schools will have in September. The policy will have a disproportionately hard impact on minority faith schools. It is a huge issue not just in the Border counties, but also right across the country.

See this speech in context