Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason some pupils of a secondary school (details supplied) in County Dublin, are being refused entry because they don't fall into the criteria of having an older sibling that attends the school or where they are an only child, and the steps he will take to address this perceived discrimination. [52925/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The enrolment of pupils in a school is a matter for the individual school. It is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998.In this regard a board of management may find it necessary to restrict enrolment to children from a particular area or a particular age group or, occasionally, on the basis of some other criterion. In formulating an enrolment policy a school must, however, ensure it is lawful and applied fairly to all applicants.

Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 provides for an appeal by a parent or guardian to the Secretary General of my Department, or in the case of a Vocational Educational Committee (VEC) school to the VEC in the first instance, where a Board of Management of a school, or a person acting on behalf of the Board, refuses to enrol a student in a school, expels a student or suspends a student for 20 or more days in any school year. My Department has no authority to compel a school to admit a pupil, except in the case of an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 being upheld.

The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The NEWB may be able to offer assistance and advice on securing a school placement within the pupil's area. The contact details for the NEWB are, National Educational Welfare Board, Block 3, Floor 1, Grove Court, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, phone number 01-8103260.

The Deputy will be aware that last year, I launched a discussion paper on school enrolment. The "Discussion Paper on a Regulatory Framework for School Enrolment" contains suggestions on how to make the process of enrolling in schools more open, equitable and consistent.

I invited education partners and interested parties to submit their views to my Department by the 28 of October last year. The feedback from this consultation will help inform the nature and scope of a new regulatory framework for school enrolment.