Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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8. To ask the Taoiseach if he has met the various religious groups since the general election; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13103/16]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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9. To ask the Taoiseach the religious leaders he has met with in 2016 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14494/16]

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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10. To ask the Taoiseach if he has met with religious leaders since the general election. [15855/16]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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11. To ask the Taoiseach if he has met with religious leaders since the general election. [15861/16]

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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12. To ask the Taoiseach if he has met with religious leaders since the general election. [15867/16]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I propose to takes Questions Nos. 8 to 12, inclusive, together.

Like public representatives generally, I meet church leaders informally from time to time in the course of attending official or public events. Given the 1916 commemorations, I have attended many events this year in particular which have also been attended by representatives from various religious groups. As Taoiseach in the previous Government, I met with representatives from the Catholic Church, Church of Ireland, the Jewish community, the Islamic community, Atheist Ireland and the Humanist Association of Ireland as part of the structured dialogue process. However, I have not held any meetings under the structured dialogue process since the general election, but hope to do so in due course.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. However, one of the hallmarks of recent years was that there was no serious dialogue with faith leaders because Ministers insisted on talking through the media rather than face to face. There has been a great deal of talk about the issue schools, which is important. Hopefully, we can see some real progress on both enhancing and protecting choice. It should not be a question of trying to get anybody, but should be about facilitating choice for parents and pupils. I put it to the Taoiseach that there is a much wider issue at hand and it probably relates somewhat to the previous question. We are in a period where internationally, religious intolerance and fundamentalism are growing rapidly. In parts of Europe once defined by religious tolerance, the promotion of intolerance is reaching extreme proportions. In certain countries, anti-semitism is widely found while in others Islamophobia is increasing dramatically. We must be very clear that Ireland rejects this growing intolerance. The effective means to do so is to redouble efforts to support permanent inter-faith dialogue. That may involve reflecting on the existing structured dialogue to see if it can be enhanced.

Can there be more regular ways of meeting, not just to engage in a formulaic manner but to examine everything that we do in the country in order to determine whether it is advancing religious tolerance and undermining any drift towards fundamentalism? Will the Taoiseach agree to convene discussions on how we might move forward and ensure we increase the understanding of other faiths among young people, in particular? Schools teach religion and, in some respects, young people today are more knowledgeable about other religions than we were when we were growing up and attending school, but there may be a need for further programmes to take that teaching out of the classroom to a certain extent, to use the good work that has been done in the classroom - some very good work has been done, as a result of which young people have a better understanding in some respects of the origins of various religions - and to bring greater momentum and encouragement to the idea of tolerating other faiths. Perhaps the convening of discussions might be a useful way to start.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I do not disagree with what the Deputy said. A structured dialogue was initiated by my predecessors and I think it worked reasonably well in that it did allow for formal engagement between the Government of the day and individual faith leaders. As I said, we had face to face discussions with the groups I mentioned. It might be more appropriate if there were more regular meetings on the issues common to everybody.

I agree with the Deputy's comments on anti-Semitism and xenophobia and the need for understanding and tolerance in this country. We still have an opportunity to deal with that issue in a much better way than many other countries that have or have not been able to deal with it.

In the period ahead, as things settle down, I expect to meet the faith leaders again to discuss these matters. In fact, if it would be of added value, I would not mind having a discussion with the Deputies as leaders on the issues that might be raised or having the opportunity to have a collective discussion with them on their views on different issues. It is not for me alone, either as a person or because of the job I hold, to say I have all the answers in the meeting the faith leaders and the leaders of the different churches. Perhaps taking the opportunity at some stage to bring everybody together for a general discussion might be well worthwhile.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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That is the suggestion.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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There is a range of things that come up everyday on which the Deputies, as leaders, have different views or that might be very relevant to what it is we have to discuss. In making contact with them I will certainly bear that in mind.

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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That would be a welcome development. I understand the structured dialogue process did not happen because of other developments since the election. We need tolerance and a pluralist society. Increasingly, I am of the view that we need a secular society. We need to tackle the issue of sectarianism on this island, particularly but not exclusively in the North. Still a deep-rooted difficulty, the "isms" of racism and sectarianism are used to create artificial divisions between people. Across the island people want a different set of values, one that allows people with religious beliefs to practise them. It is a matter of personal faith or beliefs.

Major issues need to be tackled specifically, for example, the Government's commitment to divesting the Catholic Church of its schools estate. I listened to Archbishop Martin's views on same and he was progressive. Five years ago the then Government announced that the patronage of 50% of schools would change by 2012. That has not happened. I understand only eight schools have been divested by the Catholic Church. As opposed to a philosophical discussion, we could have a discussion on a real issue. Last week the Minister for Education and Skills stated he intended to establish a working group to discuss with Catholic patrons how the transfer of patronage could be accelerated. It would be useful if the Taoiseach were to clarify when the working group would be established and when we could expect to see a report.

As the structured dialogue has not begun, I take it that the Government has not held a formal discussion on the issue of admission to schools where baptism is used to discriminate against children and to prevent parents from enrolling their children in local schools. There are major issues that affect humanity in a global sense, whereas these specific issues affect children and the type of society we want. Clearly, parental choice is a factor in many cases, but we must ensure education is available to all and should not be conditional on whether a child has been baptised. When does the Taoiseach expect the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill to be reinstated and has the Government considered amending the Equal Status Act to ensure local schools will be required to give priority to local children, irrespective of their religion or lack thereof?

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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On the question of meeting religious leaders, two issues arise: education and the eighth amendment. It seems clear that there has been a change in the Government's position. Under the previous Government which involved the Labour Party, many people were of the impression that there were going to be reforms under which an increasing number of schools would not be faith based but open to all children. In the light of the model envisaged by the Government, that position has changed and a so-called community national school initiative is being proposed. Approximately 400 out of 3,000 schools would be part of that model in five or 15 years time. How is this a choice? The new Minister for Education and Skills has stated he would like to see this model introduced, with pupils of different religions effectively being separated from their friends for religious instruction. That is segregation which, as has been proved, can carry into the school yard and playground.

I represent an area that is probably the most culturally diverse in the country. One in four of the people living in Dublin West was born outside Ireland. Some are citizens, some are not. In the school my daughter attends there approximately pupils of 110 nationalities, all of whom get on swimmingly. I am genuine on this issue. A Catholic secondary school was assigned to the area a number of years ago. In a year and a half when my daughter will attend secondary school, all of her friends will be split up across the four corners of the country because the school will only cater for a minority of those living in the area. This was not the Government's decision, but should we not just end the question of religion in schools being such a dominant issue? Why can kids not just go to school, learn what we all expect them to learn and play together instead of having this question being such a dominant issue in a society that is much more diverse?

Does the Taoiseach believe it is right that a child's access to a school is determined by its parents' religion? That is what is happening in many areas. When this was last discussed in the Dáil, at which time Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin was the responsible Minister of State, we received representations from people whose children had been refused by eight or nine schools because all of them are Catholic. I am hearing – I heard this from Deputy Micheál Martin also - that parental choice is being used as a way of justifying discrimination.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The opposite.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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How can there be choice when 90% of schools are Catholic schools? Why can we not have circumstances in which schools are not faith based? I fully defend everybody’s right to practice a religion. I represent Hindus and Muslims who are trying to find places of worship in their area. I have no problem with that. At the end of the school day, those parents who want to use a school building to propagate their faith among their children should be allowed to do so, but all the children should be kept together for the school day. I do not see anything wrong with that model.

I ask the Taoiseach not to go down the proposed road. It seems that the Catholic Church has contacted the Government and has asked for something it can accept and still remain in control of all the schools.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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That is not the case.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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That is the case. The Catholic Church has not shown willingness to divest. As has been said, about eight schools, or even five, have been handed over by it.

I hear Fianna Fáil saying the same thing as the Government, so they are obviously at one on this issue.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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On a point of information, the community school model is about eight or nine years old.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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I know. I have it in my area.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It was never brought in as a method of discrimination. It was brought in as a method of providing badly needed school places for hundreds of children with no places at all.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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If the Deputy does not mind, I have probably have seen it in action a lot more-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy made a comment-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Could we have order, please?

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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My point is that children are still segregated-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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They are not segregated.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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-----every single day for religious instruction. They should not be. It obviously would not apply to Deputy Micheál Martin. He might live in a monocultural set-up.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I do not live in a monoculture.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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I do not, and nor do many others.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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All of us live in a multicultural society.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy. The time is up.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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I was constantly interrupted.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy has been talking to us.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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My apologies, but I am afraid the Taoiseach does not have time to respond.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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I have obviously touched a raw nerve with Deputy Martin.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Taoiseach might correspond with Deputy Ruth Coppinger.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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May I finish on this point?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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No. The Deputy is finished because the time is up. I am sorry. The time is also up for questions to the Taoiseach. The Taoiseach cannot respond so I ask that he correspond with the Deputies on the issues raised.