Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

When I raised yesterday the fact that five Educate Together schools have been told that their enrolment for September is being curtailed - each of them is being allowed to take in just 13 students - I was advised by the Leader to submit a Commencement debate request. I have done that and I hope the debate in question will take place tomorrow. I would like the Minister to come to this House to discuss the issue of multidenominational education in the context of three campaigns across the country that are looking for Educate Together status at second level. The campaign in Galway is being assisted by Councillor Niall McNelis and the campaign in south Kildare is being assisted by Councillor Mark Wall. The third campaign is in Dublin 13, which is my own part of the world. Parents feel very strongly about the continuum of education under this model of patronage. It would be good to have a debate in this House on multidenominational education in its totality, and Educate Together in particular.

Senator Feighan has made a solid suggestion in relation to the political impasse in Northern Ireland. Given that there are two vacant seats in this House, we could ask the Government to seek political agreement across all parties in the Oireachtas for the allocation of each of those seats, respectively to an individual from the unionist tradition and an individual from the nationalist tradition in Northern Ireland. I suggest that such a positive move would represent an imaginative response to the current impasse from this Chamber.