Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it gives me an opportunity on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton, to set out for the DáiI the position on voluntary reassignment of patronage under section 8 of the Education Act 1998. As the Deputy will be aware, the Minister has announced new plans aimed at accelerating the provision of multi-denominational and non-denominational schools across the country in line with the choices of parents, families and school communities and the commitment in the programme for Government to reach a figure of 400 such schools by 2030. The previous model of patronage divestment yielded only a very limited number of schools for transfer to multi-denominational patrons. The number was ten since 2013. The new schools reconfiguration for diversity process has the potential to significantly increase patron diversity in the school system.

The early movers provision of the schools reconfiguration for diversity process involves voluntary reassignments of patronage under section 8 of the Education Act 1998. This fast-track process is part of the plan to accelerate the delivery of multi-denominational and non-denominational schools. The new process which supports transfers of schools to multi-denominational patrons in response to the wishes of local families is based on the principles of transparency and co-operation. It involves consultation with the school community, the Iocal community and the current patron and reflects their wishes in a request to transfer patronage under section 8 of the Education Act.

In the case of the school to which the Deputy refers, the Department will consider any request that may be made by the existing patron for a transfer of patronage to a multi-denominational patron under the early movers provision. The first reconfiguration under the early movers provision of the new process has taken place successfully, with Two Mile community national school opening in September 2017.

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In cases such as Faughart, individual early movers are being facilitated with immediate transfers to multidenominational or non-denominational patrons where the community and the current patron have opted voluntarily to do so. If there is agreement on the transfer of patronage, the procedure is that the archdiocese will write to the Department with a request under section 8(3) of the Education Act 1998 for the Minister to amend the patron register in respect of the school on the application of the existing patron, as the person who stands for the time being registered as the patron of the school.

I understand there has been some interaction locally with multidenominational patrons, including a meeting between representatives of the former Scoil Náisúnta Bhrighde parents' association and Louth and Meath Education and Training Board, LMETB, in this regard. The Department has been contacted by some of these parties but indicated that this was a matter for the patron rather than the Department at this point. The Department has also responded to correspondence from the existing patron seeking clarification on the early movers provision of the schools reconfiguration for diversity process. The Department has indicated it would view any request to transfer patronage in this case positively.

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