Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to take part in today’s debate on the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016. First, I congratulate the Minister on his action plan for education and his vision to ensure this country has the best education and training system within the next decade. A fit-for-purpose education system is the foundation for any successful country. I believe the education system has been instrumental in our success as a country.

In terms of the Bill before us it is only right and proper that we provide a framework for students and their parents that will provide a basis for school enrolment that is structured, open and transparent. It is also vitally important that we are fair to schools and that there is a balance between a school’s admissions policy and the regulations imposed by the Department. The stated aim of the Bill is to address issues such as school enrolment policies, put an end to waiting lists and the introduction of annual enrolment structures. There is no doubt that situations arise whereby a child is unable to get a place in a local school even though the school has available places. As the Minister stated in his speech the Bill will increase transparency and fairness in terms of school admissions.

My firm belief is that the education system and by extension the schools must make available places for all children regardless of their race or ability. All schools must be fully inclusive and be seen to be so when it comes to the admission of pupils. The Bill will also put into law a ban on schools making it a condition of entry for a charge to be paid before a child is admitted to a school. I have come across the situation on many occasions where parents could not send their child to a certain school due to a so-called voluntary contribution system being in place. In fairness, in recent years there was a steady decline in the practice, which is welcome.

It is important to point out that the vast majority of parents are delighted with the schools their children attend and that the vast majority of schools offer a warm and welcoming environment. However, I am not convinced that the Bill addresses all of my concerns. There are a lot of schools where the number of applicants greatly exceeds the places available. In those circumstances schools have no option but to operate a waiting list. In such cases, a school must have some basis on which to select students. One of the more contentious issues in that regard is the treatment of the children of past pupils. In his speech the Minister indicated that the Bill is silent in terms of limiting the power of a school to determine a priority for children of past pupils. The Bill must be more proactive in that regard. We cannot simply allow it to remain silent on the issue. I note from my research into this matter that the previous Oireachtas committee’s report on the draft general scheme considered that a school should not be permitted to give any priority to children of past pupils. I put on record that I totally disagree with that opinion. It is a tradition in this country that children generally attend the same school as their parents. For us to put a barrier in that regard is wrong and it is not fair to either the children, their parents or the schools.

I welcome the Minister's statement that he is open to discussions on this matter. I note that he stated a maximum limit of 25% of places could be available for the children of past pupils. However, I foresee problems with such an approach. For example, what happens if children of past pupils apply for, let us say 35% of the places available? In such a case we would be back to a situation whereby a number of applicants would be treated unfairly. There is no easy solution to the issue. I do not believe we can solve it by simply stating that 25% of places should be reserved for the children of past pupils. My view is that the children of past pupils should always be given the option to attend the school their parents attended. As I already stated, that is the tradition in Ireland and one I would like to see retained. I am not favour of tinkering with long-held traditions that have worked successfully in the past and continue to work successfully now and will into the future. I welcome and acknowledge the Minister's statement that he will listen to all views on this matter when the Bill is on Committee Stage.

Another area on which the Minister touched last night was the protection of minority religions in schools. I fully agree with him that we must protect all minority religions but we must also protect the majority religion.

We cannot discriminate against any religion, whether it be a minority or a majority religion, when it comes to school admission. Parents and schools will have rights in this regard that need to be protected. I would be the first to admit that a solution to this issue will not be easily found.

I agree with the approach that the Oireachtas education committee will scrutinise the proposed legislation, take submissions and hold hearings with legal experts and stakeholders. It is important that all potential issues are addressed as we do not want a situation to arise later where changes to law are changed by the courts.

I congratulate the Minister, Deputy Bruton, on his efforts to improve the education system with his action plan for education, which I believe will be successful. I look forward to seeing the Bill make its way through the Houses.

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