Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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323. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to open an educate together national school facility (details supplied) in County Cork. [45919/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, 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 parents, families and school communities and the Programme for Government commitment in this area. 

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 which includes the area referred to by the Deputy, in 2017 and beyond. 

The Schools Reconfiguration for Diversity 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 Education and Training Boards 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 1998, which will require my approval.   

I would point out that the previous model of divestment yielded only a very limited number of schools for transfer to multi-denominational patrons (ten since 2013).  I believe that the new schools reconfiguration for diversity process has the potential to significantly increase patron diversity in our school system with a target of reaching 400 multi-denominational and non-denominational schools by 2030.