Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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241. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the actions taken by his Department to implement the report of the forum on pluralism and patronage; the number of recommendations that are outstanding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17814/17]

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 could provide a sufficiently diverse range of primary schools and on how all primary schools could 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

The Government is committed to progressing the development of a dynamic and innovative education system that reflects the diversity of twenty-first Century Ireland.  The Programme for a Partnership Government reflects the Government’s objective of strengthening parental choice and further expanding diversity in our school system.  The desire of parents for diversity in education is primarily being pursued by increasing the number of non-denominational and multi-denominational schools with a view to reaching 400 by 2030.

The Deputy will be aware that on 30 January, 2017, I 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. In addition to progressing the reconfiguration of existing school provision to provide greater choice to parents in areas of stable population, the Government is committed to ensuring that parental preferences will continue to be key to patronage decisions on new schools established in areas of demographic growth.

In relation to the development of a curriculum for Education about Religions and Beliefs (ERB) and Ethics in primary schools, as recommended by the Forum, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment recently published a consultation report which outlines the key messages arising from the consultation process that they conducted in 2015/16 and the implications for the development of a curriculum. The Consultation Report describes a way forward for the development of integrated provision for ERB and Ethics as part of the newly-developing primary curriculum.

As a step in advancing the recommendations of the Forum on Patronage in this regard, the NCCA has formed a network of schools to gather and share examples of good practice in the area of ERB and Ethics for schools to use in supporting and developing their practice in this area. The development of proposals for provision for Education about Religion and Beliefs and Ethics at primary level will take account of the on-going work on the review of the structure and time allocation in the primary school curriculum.