Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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54. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will reconsider his decision to give the Catholic Church the final decision over which patron to divest schools to, in view of the existing disproportionate influence the church has over primary education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10457/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware I recently announced new plans aimed at providing more multi-denominational and non-denominational schools across the country, in line with the choices of families and school communities and the Programme for Government commitment in this area.

This will involve the Education and Training Boards in the initial phase, as the State’s local education authorities, identifying areas where there is likely to be demand for greater diversity and they will work with pre-school services to establish evidence of this demand among the cohort of pre-school parents. There will then be discussions between individual ETBs and the existing patrons/landowners concerning the possible transfer of schools to accommodate this demonstrated demand for diversity.

Each ETB will prepare a report for the Department outlining the levels of demand within their functional areas and the responses of the existing patrons as to how this might be accommodated through the reconfiguration of existing school provision.

In the subsequent implementation phase, where the level of demand for multi-denominational schools is sufficient to justify transfer of a school from denominational to multi-denominational patronage, a process will commence to give effect to that. There will be a role for the existing patron/landowner in consulting with local community and school interests and taking into account proposals from different prospective multi-denominational patrons.  It is envisaged that transfers will largely be by way of voluntary transfer of live schools by existing patrons.

This new process for supporting transfers of schools to multi-denominational patrons in response to the wishes of local families is based around principles of transparency and cooperation. Therefore, there will be a very substantial level of consultation of local communities in the process, both with the ETBs’ in the initial phase to establish evidence of demand by consulting pre-school parents and subsequently through the requirement for the existing patron to consult with local community and school interests in proposing to transfer patronage of an existing school to an alternative patron body.  In that process, the existing patron will also take into account proposals from all prospective multi-denominational patrons that wish to be considered.  In the final instance, an application for a formal transfer of patronage will have to be made by the existing patron under the Education Act 1989, which will require Ministerial approval.

The Deputy will of course be aware that the previous model of divestment yielded only a very limited number of schools for transfer to multi-denominational patrons.  I believe that this process has the potential to significantly increase patron diversity in our school system.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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55. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress to date in the Government reaching its target of 400 non-denominational and multidenominational schools by 2030; the number of such schools to be opened in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10119/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that I recently announced new plans aimed at providing more multi-denominational and non-denominational schools across the country, in line with the choices of families and school communities and the Programme for Government commitment in this area.  The Government's target of achieving 400 multi-denominational schools by 2030 is highly ambitious, requiring a significant increase in the rate of transfer of Catholic schools to multidenominational patrons.

The new process will involve the Education and Training Boards in the initial phase, as the State’s local education authorities, identifying areas where there is likely to be demand for greater diversity and they will work with pre-school services to establish evidence of this demand among the cohort of pre-school parents. There will then be discussions between individual ETBs and the existing patrons/landowners concerning the possible transfer of schools to accommodate this demonstrated demand for diversity.

Each ETB will then prepare a report for the Department outlining the levels of demand within their functional areas and the responses of the existing patrons as to how this might be accommodated through the reconfiguration of existing school provision.

In the subsequent implementation phase, where the level of demand for multidenominational schools is sufficient to justify transfer of a school from denominational to multi-denominational patronage, a process will commence to give effect to that. There will be a role for the existing patron/landowner in consulting with local community and school interests and taking into account proposals from different prospective multi-denominational patrons.  It is envisaged that transfers will largely be by way of voluntary transfer of live schools by existing patrons.

While these new structures are being introduced, my Department will continue to work with the main stakeholders to progress delivery of choice in areas already identified, in 2017 and beyond.

As the Deputy will also be aware my Department uses a Geographical Information System to identify areas under increased demographic pressure nationwide. When it is decided that a new school is required to meet demographic needs my Department runs a separate patronage process to decide who will operate the school. Following patronage processes, which give significant weight to parental demand, the vast majority of new schools which are established come under multi-denominational patronage.

A total of 20 additional multi-denominational schools have been announced or established since I took office ten months ago.  In 2016, seven new multi-denominational post-primary schools opened, with a further five opening in September 2017.  Five new multi-denominational primary schools opened in 2016.  Three new primary schools will open in September 2017 and the patronage process for these schools is currently underway.