Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In Ireland some 90% of primary schools are under Catholic patronage. Factors such as emigration and the increasingly secular population has led to demand for more diversity in school patronage. The 2012 report of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector recommended a policy of divestment, which is the transfer of a school from a denominational patron to another patron. I have often indicated my support for such a policy. We are aware of the increasing demand for non-denominational schools.

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