Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In Deputy Ó Ríordáin's absence, I absolutely accept his bona fides in introducing this Bill and his good intentions. In the interest of fairness, my motivation in moving this amendment is equally well intentioned. I have listened to the Deputies with interest.

I must point out and, indeed, take exception to remarks that have been made about not alone my party but also the Government in which I serve in respect of the value and importance we place on education. No one recognises or prioritises more the importance of education than the current Government. That is an indisputable fact, considering the package of resources and measures it has put in place. In excess of €400 million has been put in place for Covid measures within our schools. A budget just short of €9 billion in resources is being introduced for the benefit of our schools. The measures included in the budget, as Deputy Gannon mentioned, ensure that the pupil-teacher ratio will fall from 26:1 to 25:1. The budget also caters for a reduction by three points in the enrolment entitlement to retain a teacher. Equally, 1,065 additional posts are being made available, 400 of which will be for teachers who will work with children with special educational needs, to which Deputies have referred. There will be almost 1,000 additional SNAs, bringing the number within our school system to a record high of 18,000. A sum of €740 million is being made available to provide 200 building projects and an additional 145 projects, 200 of which will be completed in 2021, a further 145 of which will begin by July 2021. There are other supports I could mention, such as a package of DEIS supports, but I will not go on. I wish to make clear, however, the determination and focus of the Government on education. It has been alluded to on numerous occasions by the Government that it is a number one priority. That can be seen in the delivery even thus far, in the early stages of the Government that was formed on 27 June.

Specifically, I have moved this amendment because schools are currently undertaking their admission processes for the 2021-22 school year in accordance with their agreed and published admissions policies. It would, therefore, be hugely disruptive to schools and their communities to delete the provision as proposed in the Bill at this time. As I have previously outlined, the Act requires that any changes made to the published admissions policy of a school require consultation within the school community, redrafting and approval and publication by the board. At the current time in particular, this would cause an increase in workload for schools, as I am sure all the Deputies would appreciate.

Equally, it would be premature to accept the Bill, which proposes to delete section 62(10)(b) of the Act, without undertaking a review of the impact and use of the provision. The amendment I have moved represents a fairer approach that allows time to assess the impact of this section on school admissions. Again, it is worth noting that schools may choose to invoke the 25% provision and we will not know that until it has kicked in in September 2021. In allowing time for review, we will then be in a better position to make an informed decision rather than a rushed response at this stage, which would have the unintended consequence of causing disruption to schools and increasing their workload when they are operating under other significant challenges at this time.

To reiterate, information as to how many schools will choose to invoke this 25% provision and its impact or otherwise on school enrolment will only become apparent when it becomes operational in September 2021. This amendment seeks only to allow an opportunity to review the use of this admissions criterion in order that an informed and considered view of this proposed legislation can take place.

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