Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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314. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will act to remove the requirement for primary school teachers to have a Catholic religious education certificate to be eligible for most teaching jobs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4654/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Certificate of Religious Education is required as a condition of employment in catholic schools and as an employment matter is not within my Department’s remit. Some of the Higher Education Institutions offer an optional Certificate in Religion programme, which is separate to the Bachelor of Education.

The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority. In accordance with Department Circulars 0031/2011 and 0044/2019, schools are required to ensure that individuals appointed to teach are registered teachers with qualifications appropriate to the sector and suitable to the post for which they are employed.

The Teaching Council which is responsible for the maintenance of standards in teaching and registering teachers does not require a separate qualification in Religious Studies for registration as a primary school teacher.

Schools and other educational institutions are required to comply with anti-discrimination and other employment legislation, such as the Employment Equality Act 1998.

Section 37 (1) of the Employment Equality Act, 1998, as amended, requires relevant employers in schools with a religious ethos to show that any favourable treatment of an employee or prospective employee is limited to the religion ground and action taken against a person is objectively justified by reference to that institution’s aim of protecting its religious ethos. This provision raises the threshold for discrimination so that schools are precluded from discrimination on any other equality grounds and that any action taken is reasonable and proportionate.

For historical reasons, most primary schools are State-aided parish schools, with the local Bishop as patron, although this pattern is changing. At present, 89% of primary schools have a Catholic ethos. Approximately 5% have a multi-denominational ethos.

The remaining approximately 6% of primary schools have a religious ethos other than Catholic, mainly Church of Ireland. It is recognised, including by the Catholic patrons, that more diverse provision is required to cater for our changing society.

The Schools Reconfiguration for Diversity process, supporting transfers of schools to multi-denominational patrons in response to the wishes of school communities, aims to facilitate more availability of multi-denominational schools across the country.