I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. I wish to focus on two areas of the discussions the Taoiseach has had with religious leaders. First, with regard to education, the principals of minority schools appeared before the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection last summer. They expressed concerns about the impact of cuts on their schools. In respect of the Church of Ireland schools, a statement was made to the committee which states:[W]e are of the view that any policy that seeks to close or wind down a school of fewer than 56 pupils or two teachers will have a disproportionate effect on the Protestant minority. Based on the returns of 2011-12, 97 of our schools have fewer than 56 pupils.The Church of Ireland made it clear that this accounts for almost 50% of all Protestant primary schools and a policy of closing schools of fewer than 56 pupils would close half the Protestant primary schools in Ireland. This is what it is facing and is the reason its representatives gave for that community being particularly anxious. Moreover, once a school closes, it is unlikely to reopen. This is a clear issue in the Border areas and for the Church of Ireland in general regarding the right of its members to an education through its ethos and in a school of their own faith.

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