Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

764. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Question No. 537 of 15 December 2015, if she will be meeting with organisations that advocate a secular education system such as Secular Schools Ireland and with organisations that advocate an end to the patronage system when consulting regarding changes to rule 68 and section 7(3)(c) of the Equal Status Act 2000; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46713/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy is aware, I am currently engaged in a series of meetings with the different education partners involved in implementing the recommendations of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism. The key objective of these meetings is to make further progress on the recommendations of the Forum which include a recommendation that the Rules for National Schools be reviewed and updated, in particular, Rule 68.

I met with the Education and Training Boards, Educate Together and with representatives of the Catholic Church in December. I will be meeting with An Foras Pátrúnachta, and Gaelscoileanna Teoranta in January. Following those meetings I will outline a number of actions to advance the recommendations which arose from the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism, and these actions will include the immediate repeal of rule 68.

Regarding section 7(3)(c) of the Equal Status Act, 2000, which permits schools in which the objective is to provide education that promotes certain religious values to admit a student of a particular religion in preference to others, I have made clear my view that this provision must be amended. All schools should be required to prioritise local children, regardless of their religion, while building in protection for the small number of minority faith schools which serve dispersed communities. This is a matter that needs to be addressed as a priority for the next Government.