Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Ross referred to five Protestant comprehensive schools which do not charge fees. Second level schools such as Kilkenny College and previously Wilson's Hospital, have demonstrated that they believe they can maintain and promote their Church of Ireland ethos through the free second level scheme.

I have referred to the report and the analysis which we cannot dismiss. It shows clearly that €81 million of discretionary income is not available to schools in the free scheme and that there is a mechanism funded to the value of €6.5 million annually which allows for the disbursement of moneys through the SEC to pupils who would otherwise have difficulty with the cost of fees and, in the absence of financial support, be unable to attend a second level school of a reformed church or Protestant ethos. There are mechanisms in place. Fee paying schools have been treated in budgetary terms in exactly the same way as all other religious ethos schools in a manner consistent with the Constitution. The Department is open to discussions with any fee paying school of Protestant ethos on transitioning to the free scheme and will look at each case sympathetically and in detail.

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