Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There is no doubt that the schools that are over-subscribed are being given the opportunity to discriminate and the State needs to stop this practice, given that the State is funding these schools. The same problem arises with regard to religious schools. While section 7(3)(c) of the Equal Status Act 2000 allows religious-run schools to refuse to admit a student of another denomination, provided the school can prove that such a refusal is essential to the ethos of the school, this provision is effectively an exemption from equality legislation. Unfortunately, the proposed schools admission legislation will do nothing to combat this discrimination. Given that 95% of national schools are denominational and mainly Catholic-run, it leaves many parents with no choice in this area. I have heard of parents who have no religious beliefs getting their kids baptised in order to try to gain access to certain schools. One could be forgiven for suspecting that the religious position on the admission of children to certain religious schools is driving people into this situation where they are having their children baptised in order to qualify for admission. Surely this should be severely dealt with by the State.

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