Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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541. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary schools that give admissions priority to students based on their religious affiliation. [52804/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, section 11, amended the Equal Status Act 2000 to remove, in the case of recognised primary schools, the provision that permitted such schools to use religion as a selection criterion in school admissions.

Schools cannot therefore use religion as a selection criterion. However there is a provision to ensure that a child of a minority faith, can access a school of their faith. The amended Act provides that a recognised primary school does not discriminate where it admits as a priority a student from a minority religion who is seeking admission to a school that provides religious instruction or religious education which is of the same religious ethos as the minority religion of the student concerned or is a similar religious ethos to the minority religion of the student concerned.