Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have chosen to go down the road of dealing with this by providing more multidenominational schools. For the information of Deputy Coppinger, we are advised that there would potentially be very significant constitutional issues in terms of the rights of religious expression in attempting to require through legislation that a Catholic school would admit a non-Catholic ahead of a Catholic. Therefore, rather than risk lengthy legal challenges in the courts and a potential referendum, adding multidenominational schools would be a much easier way to deal with this right of choice for parents.

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