Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish the Minister well and certainly look forward to working with him in my role as Chairman of the Joint Committee on Education and Skills, together with my colleagues, including Deputies Carol Nolan and Thomas Byrne.

Our education system must be fit for purpose in this modern age, reflecting the reality of the diversity of the communities within which we live and our society in general. Every child going through our education system should be treated and cherished equally. No child should be isolated because of his or her religion, lack of religion, race, colour or background. Our education system, which is publicly funded, must be equally accessible to all children.

With regard to the treatment of non-Catholic parents and children in our education system, there is definitely an urgent rights issue. I say this as somebody who was educated by the Sisters of Mercy not only at primary and secondary levels but also at third level, in Carysfort College. I also taught in a faith-based school. There is an ever-increasing mismatch between the current patronage arrangements for national schools and the wishes of parents. It is important to note that 96% of national schools are under denominational patronage. Surveys have found that only one in four parents would actually pick such a school if he or she had a choice. This is the reality we face.

I have no doubt about the principle of this Bill and I believe it is extremely well meant. Along with my colleague Deputy Thomas Byrne, I believe we need more consultation.

If I am to do my job as the incoming Chairman of the committee correctly, I would like to have an opportunity to extend an invitation to many groups to appear before the committee to discuss the issue. That is my priority for the committee, although every member will have an opportunity to set out his or her priorities.

The proposal to enshrine in legislation the catchment areas for schools is important. Currently, catchment areas are not enshrined in legislation, nor are they a statutory requirement in admissions policies. Any solution to the issue of admissions will require enshrining some form of catchment area in school admissions policies. Specifically, schools should not be able to admit children of the same denomination as the school who live outside the catchment area in preference to children of a different denomination from inside the catchment area. This is a key point on which I believe we all agree.

My party colleague, Deputy Thomas Byrne, addressed the issue of protecting minority faith schools, as did Deputy Joan Burton. Fianna Fáil proposes that catchment areas for minority faith schools be sized according to the availability of schools of a different ethos. It is unlikely that this proposal could be perceived as unconstitutional. It would mean that catchment areas could be sized according to the prevalence of the school ethos, for example, Presbyterian, Jewish and Muslim schools would need to have wide catchment areas for admissions. In such circumstances, a child from outside the catchment area would not be considered for a school place before a child from the local area, even if the local child is not of the denominated religion of the school or of no religion.

I acknowledge the role Educate Together has played in helping to solve the admissions problem. The Fianna Fáil Party supports the organisation's ongoing involvement in the patronage of schools. All schools should be multi-faith in their enrolment policies and education practices, albeit under different patrons.

The Fianna Fáil Party in government introduced a community national school model in 2007. This model should play an increasing role as new schools are opened and others are transferred from Catholic patronage. Any large-scale movement of schools from Catholic Church patronage should be planned carefully, however, to avoid significant disruption and a possible decline in educational standards in schools. A gradual transition in the patronage arrangements of schools is vital.

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