Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The purpose of the Labour Party Bill is to acknowledge the constitutional right for religions to be recognised and practised as people wish. That is agreed by most parties in the House, if not all. However, we are faced with an uncomfortable scenario where parents, especially when their first child attends school, find out that unless they are of a particular religion, they are unlikely to gain access to the school. This is often particularly significant for people of a Catholic background. Our Bill would give much greater protection to minority religions because to maintain the ethos of the school, 51% of the students must of that religion. That would considerably strengthen the position for minority religions compared with the current position.

I do not understand the Minister's diffidence in dealing with this. The Bill will not amend education legislation. It will amend the Equal Status Act, which is equality legislation. I understand him raising other points but this is just about equal status and seeking to calibrate rights for the religion, the student and the family.

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