Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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274. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of his Department's involvement with the forum on patronage and pluralism in the primary sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21062/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector was established in 2011 to advise on how the primary education system can provide a sufficiently diverse range of primary schools and on how all primary schools can become more inclusive.

The report of the Forum Advisory Group was published in April 2012 and made a series of recommendations aimed at ensuring that the education system can provide a sufficiently diverse number and range of primary schools to cater for children of all religions and none.

The Report's recommendations covered four broad areas:

- those dealing with planning towards future patronage arrangements and having a more diverse range of patronage types for new schools in areas of rising population;

- those dealing with the practicalities of achieving divesting of patronage

- where there is a stable population and a demand for diversity of school types;

- those dealing with Irish language provision; and

- those dealing with the creation of more inclusive schools

An Action Plan in response to the Forum report was produced in June 2012 and work on implementation has been advanced by my Department in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

A follow-up paper, entitled "Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector: Progress to Date and Future Directions", was published by my Department in 2014. The paper gives an update on the progress made to date on implementing the Forum's recommendations, with a particular focus on the issue of inclusion and diversity in schools.

The Programme for Government commits the Government to strengthening parental choice and diversity in our school system, in order to ensure that it reflects the diversity of modern Ireland. This includes a commitment to aim to increase the number of non-denominational and multi-denominational schools to 400 by 2030 and to publish a new Admission to Schools Bill, which was published last week.