Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

On the question of meeting religious leaders, two issues arise: education and the eighth amendment. It seems clear that there has been a change in the Government's position. Under the previous Government which involved the Labour Party, many people were of the impression that there were going to be reforms under which an increasing number of schools would not be faith based but open to all children. In the light of the model envisaged by the Government, that position has changed and a so-called community national school initiative is being proposed. Approximately 400 out of 3,000 schools would be part of that model in five or 15 years time. How is this a choice? The new Minister for Education and Skills has stated he would like to see this model introduced, with pupils of different religions effectively being separated from their friends for religious instruction. That is segregation which, as has been proved, can carry into the school yard and playground.

I represent an area that is probably the most culturally diverse in the country. One in four of the people living in Dublin West was born outside Ireland. Some are citizens, some are not. In the school my daughter attends there approximately pupils of 110 nationalities, all of whom get on swimmingly. I am genuine on this issue. A Catholic secondary school was assigned to the area a number of years ago. In a year and a half when my daughter will attend secondary school, all of her friends will be split up across the four corners of the country because the school will only cater for a minority of those living in the area. This was not the Government's decision, but should we not just end the question of religion in schools being such a dominant issue? Why can kids not just go to school, learn what we all expect them to learn and play together instead of having this question being such a dominant issue in a society that is much more diverse?

Does the Taoiseach believe it is right that a child's access to a school is determined by its parents' religion? That is what is happening in many areas. When this was last discussed in the Dáil, at which time Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin was the responsible Minister of State, we received representations from people whose children had been refused by eight or nine schools because all of them are Catholic. I am hearing – I heard this from Deputy Micheál Martin also - that parental choice is being used as a way of justifying discrimination.

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