Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There are two issues. One is that the independent facilitator has indicated that he will "read the room". No matter what side of the debate one is on, whether one wants divestment, co-educational schools or for things to remain exactly as they are, an independent facilitator saying to a group of parents or anybody that it will be his determination what the temperature is by just reading the room is not particularly scientific and does not give anybody any sense that this will be done in a fair manner.

Second, I contend that the parents of a two-year-old have more skin in the game than the parents of somebody in sixth class. Yet, the parents of a child in sixth class, who is leaving a school next year, have more of a say in what the future of the school will be than somebody whose child is aged two, three or four, lives close to the school and intends to send their child to that school. The views of such parents are not being canvassed, yet they live in the area and surely have a view.

This is why I am asking the Minister to intervene and communicate with the independent facilitator. We cannot ask people to have faith in a process when a determination will be made by facilitator who is going to read the temperature of a room. What if my child is aged two, three or four, I live in Raheny and have an interest in what happens to the future of these schools? Surely we should find a mechanism in the school catchment area to canvass the views of those who live locally and whose children will soon be of school-going age . As I said, those parents have more of a stake in this process than somebody whose child is in sixth class and is leaving the school and has no other children going through the school.

Those are two reasonable points and the Minister of State needs to hear them and communicate them back. Otherwise, we are going to have a divisive process – indeed, we already have one – that will satisfy no one. Schools are magical places. We need to ensure they remain so and not have division.

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