Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Social Democrat Deputies for tabling the motion this afternoon and giving us a chance to have this discussion. Similar to Deputy O'Rourke, as well as being a parliamentarian I am a parent. It is a long time since I had a child in primary school but in order for her to be able to attend an Educate Together school I had to fight very hard simply to get her a place. This is the experience of parents who want a choice outside of the Roman Catholic model. Not everybody wants their kids in such a school. Even people who are Roman Catholic are quite happy to have their kids get their religious instruction at home. It is a private matter and that is possibly the best place for it.

For any parent who does not wish their children to participate in what we might call the older or more established model of schooling, it is always a battle. The Minister knows this herself from her constituency. It is always a battle. It is always a fight. People always feel they have to fight the system simply for the opportunity for their children to be able to attend the primary school of their choice and, having attended the primary school of their choice, to be able to attend the secondary school of their choice. This is something that is a constant source of amazement to me as there is nothing more certain on the day a child starts primary school than that the child in all likelihood will need a secondary school. If their parents have chosen nondenominational or multidenominational education for them at the age of five we do not need to be at genius to figure out it is unlikely to change by the time the child reaches the age of 13. Therefore, a similar type of education will be wanted for secondary school. Multidenominational or nondenominational education is not just a primary school thing; it is also a secondary school thing.

I want to raise with the Minister an issue of concern in my constituency. In Skerries we have an Educate Together primary school, and there is also one in Rush and Lusk. There is no Educate Together secondary school in either of these places, unfortunately. This means parents have to ensure their kids can get to school. I have corresponded with the Department on this and I have submitted parliamentary questions. I am told that eligibility for the school transport scheme will have regard to ethos and language. To be frank with the Minister, it does not seem to have regard to the ethos when it is one of a non-religious nature. This is something that needs to be looked at urgently. In the response from the Department there was mention of a number of pilots in operation. I would like to know when they will conclude and when we will know what the outcome is. More importantly, I urge the Minister to take a look at the criteria to ensure that parents who want their children to continue in the education system they started in primary school can do so. They should have the right to continue it through secondary school.

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