Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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182. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if issues relating to school patronage will be addressed in the short to medium term; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44409/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Programme for Government gave a commitment to more to a more pluralist system of patronage for our schools. This commitment is being progressed on a number of fronts. Firstly, the government established a Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector. The Forum advised on how the education system can provide a sufficiently diverse number and range of primary schools catering for all religions and none and also advised on the practicalities of transferring/divesting patronage for individual primary schools where it is appropriate and necessary. Arising from the work of the Forum, eight new primary schools have opened under the patronage divesting process and work is continuing to advance choices in other identified areas. Secondly, in 2011 the Government announced the establishment of new arrangements for the recognition of new primary and second-level schools. New schools are generally established to meet demographic need. The new arrangements give an opportunity to patrons to seek to apply for patronage of new schools. The criteria used in deciding on patronage of new schools place a particular emphasis on parental demand for plurality and diversity of patronage. Since 2011, 42 new schools have opened (24 primary and 18 post-primary). 39 of these schools have a multi-denominational ethos. The Department is continuing to work intensively with the main stakeholders to advance alternative choices for 2016 and beyond to achieve greater diversity of school provision.