Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The principles of this Bill are correct but I am of the firm view that a further balance needs to be found within the Bill in order to protect the ethos of many of our schools. What is being proposed by the Labour Party tonight is far short of what is required.

The Equal Status Act 2000 was very progressive legislation brought in by the Fianna Fáil Government. It brought an end to many issues of discrimination that were still present in our society. Any measure that further improves equal status is one of which I am very supportive. It is imperative that any alteration to section 7(3) of the Equal Status Act not put Christian or minority-faith families in a disadvantaged position when sending their children to school. This Bill has the potential to do that. In saying that, the wording of section 7(3) of the Equal Status Act 2000 does need to be updated. It needs to be reformed rather than removed. When places are available in any given school, they should be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. The process should take into account the locality of the family. Religion should not be the determining factor in these circumstances. The Labour Party Bill does make provision for this.

In essence, schools do not have to provide justification for turning away students of a particular religion if they claim to be oversubscribed. This is wrong and is correctly amended in the Labour Party Bill. The principle behind this Bill is correct but it is too simplistic. I agree that the selection criteria for entry into schools should not be based on whether a child has been baptised. Every child should have the opportunity to attend his or her local school regardless of religion. However, every school has the right to defend its ethos. Minority-faith schools will also lose the right to defend their ethos if section 7 of the Equal Status Act is simply removed.

The majority of schools are already doing a good job in caring for children of different cultural and religious backgrounds. The teaching of different faiths and religions forms part of the religious curriculum in our schools while allowing schools to protect their ethos. The Bill gives neither majority- nor minority-faith schools the protection they require.

The Bill allows us to begin a discussion on how best to approach the issue of access to our schools. If there is an issue with schools turning students away on the basis of religion when oversubscribed, it affords us an opportunity to discuss how best we can overcome it while protecting both the family and the ethos of the schools. However, the Bill is too vague and does not legislate correctly for this complex issue. Fundamental matters need to be resolved before the Bill can progress any further.

It is ironic that the Labour Party is now trying to alter the flaws in our education system despite having held office in the Department of Education and Skills for five years, during which it made no attempt to resolve the issue we are now discussing. The Bill lacks balance and information and does not take into account the potential constitutional issues that may arise. As a result, my party colleagues and I will not be supporting it.

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