Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Haughey. As this issue relates to his Department, it is good that he is present and I hope he will be able to give me a comprehensive answer.

The Department of Education and Skills is evaluating the patronage of a proposed new post-primary school in Gorey, County Wexford. When I attended a recent meeting hosted by the Department, at which the two interested parties outlined their cases for assuming patronage of the new secondary school, I was struck by the similarities between the potential patrons. Both of them are capable of bringing a new form of diversity to education in County Wexford. They intend the school to be multidenominational and to teach the same curriculum.

I wish to explain why I am offering my support to one group rather than the other. I ask the Minister, Deputy Coughlan, to give strong consideration to Educate Together being given responsibility for the new school. All of the post-primary schools in the Gorey district are VEC run or partly run by it. Both Educate Together and the VEC already enjoy the confidence of the local community and the Department. The VEC is a State-supported organisation, whereas Educate Together is a private charity with a strong education providing ethos in the last 30 years. Although Educate Together has mainly been involved in the primary sector, it has now branched out into the post-primary sector. Parents are very involved with both types of school.

If we were to allow Educate Together to assume responsibility in this instance, we would add to the diversity of post-primary education. This would contribute to the ethos of education in County Wexford. Such diversity in education could be replicated throughout the country. There is diversity in educational ethos in most parts of the country. The secondary schools in Wexford town, where I am based, include the local community school; St. Peter's College, originally the diocesan college, and the Loreto secondary school. The various schools all offer something different and pupils are attracted to them for different reasons. This is an opportunity to bring such diversity to another part of the county. It would benefit parents, students, teachers and the community as a whole. I would like to hear the Minister of State's views on this once in a lifetime opportunity for the pupils and parents of the county.