Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 June 2016
118. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 120 of 16 June 2016, to address the question in respect of publishing or otherwise setting out the legal advice available to his Department in respect of repealing section 7(3)(c) of the Equal Status Act 2000. [17704/16]
View answerThe primary way in which I am seeking to deliver greater diversity in educational choice is by delivering a total of 400 non-denominational and multi-denominational schools by 2030. This will provide greater choice and diversity. This is a trebling of the rate of delivery of these schools.
The new School Admissions Bill will make the process of enrolling children in schools easier for parents. Following a process of consultation with opposition parties, it is my intention to publish the new Admissions Bill during the current Dáil session. It is important to note that 80% of schools are not oversubscribed. The new Bill will oblige all schools to admit pupils where there are available places.
It is recognised that any change to the Equal Status Act would be extremely difficult as this is a hugely complex area legally, constitutionally, and in other ways. It should be noted that the previous School Admissions Bill introduced by the previous Minister for Education did not include any provision to amend the Equal Status Act.
The previous Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills, which received written submissions and conducted hearings during pre-legislative scrutiny, noted the significant constitutional difficulties in this area. The Committee's final report concluded that the provisions of the constitution "poses a particular difficulty when legislating in this policy area."
I am keen to discuss this very complex issue with the Oireachtas Committee at the earliest opportunity.
