Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent)
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103. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update in relation to proposed legislation Education (Admission to School) Bill 2013; when the draft heads of this Bill are expected before Cabinet; and when it is hoped that this legislation will take effect. [26190/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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As the Deputy is aware, I announced at the Easter Teacher Union Conferences that I will shortly bring to Government draft heads of a bill – the Education (Admission to School) Bill 2013. Work on the draft legislative proposals is largely completed and the proposals are being legally proofed at present. When this process is completed I intend to bring the proposals to Cabinet. I will seek to publish the Bill in draft form to allow a full public discussion, including inputs from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection and the education partners. I also intend to publish draft regulations that I plan to make when the Bill is enacted.

In bringing forward these proposals, it is not my intention to unnecessarily intrude into how schools do their business. My policy objective is to ensure that the way in which schools decide on applications is structured, fair and transparent. As the Bill and the Regulations will be published in draft form, they will also be subject to a lot of detailed scrutiny before becoming law. I will be reflecting carefully on the views expressed in the consultation process to ensure they strike the right balance between school autonomy and fairness in our education system.