Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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269. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress to date with the primary school divestment programme; the reasons for its limited outcomes since 2018; and her plans to ensure that families have access to greater choice in multi-denominational and non-denominational education, in view of Census 2023 findings which show a significant decline in the proportion of the population identifying as Roman Catholic. [51058/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Most primary schools are State-aided parish schools, with the local Bishop as school patron. It is recognised, including by the Catholic school patrons, that an educational landscape is needed which more accurately reflects the reality of our increasingly diverse society and meets the expectations parents have for their children.

The Programme for Government commits to seeking to increase choice for parents by ensuring that families can access both multi/non-denominational and faith-based education.

The opportunities for the establishment of new multi-denominational primary schools have declined. Demographic trends and projections at primary school level nationally have peaked.

In order to maximise the use of the existing school estate, my department has developed the schools recon?guration process. The schools reconfiguration process aims to meet demand from local school communities and to accelerate the delivery of multi-denominational schools by transferring schools to multi-denominational patrons, where school communities support this. The patronage divesting process involves establishing new schools in vacant or to-be-vacated school premises, vacated for example due to amalgamation or closure. This differs from the transfer of patronage of existing “live” schools as provided by the reconfiguration/transfer of patronage process.

When a school transfers from the patronage of one patron to another, the school remains open with the same roll number, operating from the same school property and with the same school staff and pupils.

My department has published a comprehensive Education Plan 2025 that outlines a significant body of work being undertaken this year to deliver for everyone in our school and youth services’ communities.

There are over 100 actions in this plan including a commitment to launch a survey of primary school parents and guardians and parents and guardians of children not yet in school on their preferences on important aspects of school provision and choice, such as the future patronage and ethos of their school. I intend to launch the survey in the coming period. Further details will be announced in due course.