Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I know that we are tight on time and that Deputy Catherine Martin wants to get in but I wish to take this opportunity, as a former member of the Business Committee, to thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for his collegiality and co-operation at that committee and the Ceann Comhairle and his team for a wonderful experience in how consensus politics can work in getting things done. I just wanted to put that on the public record.

In February 2018, my Department published Circular 0013/2018, which set out an approach to the arrangements that were to be made for religious instruction and worship in education and training board and post-primary community schools. This arose as a result of concerns that multidenominational education and training board, ETB, schools were requiring attendance at classes with Catholic religious instruction.

Section 4 of the circular provided that the school is required to ascertain parental wishes in respect of the child's attendance at such religious instruction. Where a parent did not want his or her child to receive religious instruction, the school was required to provide an alternative subject. Where there was any practice of combining or including religious instruction and formation or worship in the same class time as the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, religious education syllabus, parents were made aware of this fact in order that they could make an informed decision to withdraw their children from that class if this was their wish.

The newly published circular to which the Deputy referred clarifies in section 3 that withdrawal with an offer of an alternative subject does not arise in respect of the NCCA religious syllabus where there is no religious instruction or faith formation.

Religious education is an examinable subject just like history or geography, for example. It aims to develop students' ability to examine questions of meaning, purpose and relationships, to help students understand, respect and appreciate people's expression of their beliefs and to facilitate dialogue and reflection on the diversity of beliefs and values that inform responsible decision-making and ways of living. Crucially, it is not delivered from any one religious perspective.

The second important clarification is that where a school intends to provide religious instruction classes, parents must give consent before admission to the class. This means that the issue of opting out does not arise because the parent has requested a place in the religious instruction class.

This circular has no impact on the right of parents under the Education Act or the Constitution to opt out of any subject for reason of conscience.

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