Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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243. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the reconfiguration process of primary school patronage will be open to all patrons; the process that will be put in place to ensure that the patron selected will be in line with the wishes of local parents; the number of schools in which it is envisaged the new model will be put in place; the timeframe for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17816/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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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.

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.

The protocols surrounding how the consultation will be carried out will be carefully designed by my Department, in consultation with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and each ETB will submit a report to the Department showing the results of these consultations, including details of how they were carried out in accordance with the protocols.

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.  The reconfiguration process for primary school patronage will be open to application from all patrons offering multi-denominational or non-denominational school models.

It is important to acknowledge the voluntary nature of these transfers, given that the current patron is in most cases the owner of the land on which the school stands.  My Department will develop protocols on patronage transfer with existing patrons to ensure that school and local communities and prospective patrons are fully consulted before a decision is made.  I am confident that this process will respect the views of all parties - parents, local schools and communities and patrons.

While these new structures are being introduced, my Department will continue to work with the main stakeholders to progress delivery of diversity in areas already identified, in 2017 and beyond.  I would point out that the previous model of divestment yielded only a very limited number of schools for transfer to multi-denominational patrons.  I believe that the reconfiguration for diversity process has the potential to significantly increase patron diversity in our school system.