Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise two items with the Leader. I ask that he seek clarification from the Taoiseach on the comments made by the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, in expressing his personal view of wishing to ditch religious education to the benefit of other subjects. From my perspective, these comments were uninformed, unwarranted and unhelpful. At a time when guidance counsellors have been substantially scrapped from secondary schools, the increased pressures children are under at school underline the need for an all-round education and not to over-focus on academia. Irrespective of one's faith, the time made available for religious education makes a great contribution in terms of pastoral learning and preparing children not only for the academic and business challenges of life but the spiritual ones also. It is important that the Taoiseach make it crystal clear if, in fact, this is a view he shares and if it the policy of the Government because it augurs very badly for our children's education if that is the case.

On a second issue, it seems that this afternoon the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, has pulled a rabbit from the hat in announcing that there are to be two satellite centres of the new children's hospital in Dublin. Does this in any way reflect the progress, or lack of it, on the new children's hospital? I ask the Minister to make a statement on the matter.