Neale Richmond (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for dealing with this Commencement matter on what is an important and welcome consultation.

In a speech on 16 January, the Minister stated he would commence a short ten to 12 week process of consultation. It is disappointing, therefore, that the Minister has reduced this consultation to only four weeks. In my experience as a county councillor, I have never seen such a short consultation period, be it for a planning permission or statutory consultation. Indeed, a recent consultation in my home area of Stepaside on a new park had a pre-consultation period of six weeks with a statutory consultation of at least eight weeks still to follow.

I must ask the Minister, therefore, what is the rush. It is often said that bad decisions are made in haste and I am sure the Minister, like me, is keen that the new proposals agreed on for school admissions are the correct ones, and ones that will stand the test of time. Schools, parents, prospective parents, churches and teachers' groups need proper time to discuss the proposals and to draft submissions that accurately reflect their preferences or possible concerns. Such submissions may also have to be made following internal consultations, including the carrying out of surveys of parents or other groups. The shortened four-week period, which clashes with a February mid-term break, puts many people and groups in a position where they are under pressure to complete a submission, especially given that many of those who hope to make a submission are doing so voluntarily in their own time.

Needless to say, my office has been inundated with representations on this shortened consultation period, with particular concern from those involved in education involving minority faiths - the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church as well as the Jewish and Muslim faiths - not to mention those from a Roman Catholic or secular background who do not believe that they have been given sufficient time to make a meaningful contribution. As the role of religion in admissions raises legal and constitutional issues, stakeholders may need to obtain legal advice to inform their submissions. The shortened period will prevent stakeholders from obtaining this advice in sufficient time to formulate their submissions.

The implications of the measures proposed by the Minister are extremely serious for all faith-based schools, especially minority faith-based schools. The current proposals represent a fundamental shift in Irish education policy which merits careful and serious consideration by all the stakeholders in education. It is important the Minister hears from the widest possible range of stakeholders who will be impacted by the proposals.

I am broadly supportive of the Minister's efforts. Indeed, I come from the generation that is possibly most affected by the current policies. Among my friends and peers in Dublin, the topic of securing a school place for a child now dominates conversation, even more so than possible house purchases, wedding plans and other such grown-up topics. However, the short period permitted for consultation prevents the various stakeholders from engaging in a meaningful and genuine consultation with the Minister, suggesting, perhaps, that the matter has been pre-determined. In the interests of proper consultation, I would appeal one last time to the Minister to extend this consultation period.