Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 May 2018
232. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which minority religious schools continue to be facilitated arising from recent agreement on the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22667/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe objective of the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016 is to make it easier for parents to access their local schools and to enrol their children in a school that meets their needs.
Report Stage for the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016 is scheduled to commence on 29 May 2018. I will be bringing forward an amendment on this date that will remove religion as a criterion which can be used in school admissions.
It is not fair that publicly funded schools which amount to 95% of primary schools can admit children of their own religion who might live some distance away ahead of children of a different religion or no religion who live close to the school.
The amendment will also provide protections to ensure that children of minority religions can continue to access primary schools of their ethos.
The amendment will also involve amending the Equal Status Act 2000 to provide that a recognised primary school does not, however, 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 consistent with the religious beliefs of the student concerned or a religion similar to that of the student concerned.
The amendment will allow a student from a minority religion to seek admission to a recognised primary school that runs a religious instruction or religious education programme that is the same or similar to the religious ethos of the student concerned.
The amendments were published on 9 May 2018.
Minority religious communities because of their small size within the overall population, could find it extremely difficult to access schools of their own religious ethos. As a result of these changes, children of minority religions will be able access such schools. Unlike Catholic schools and Catholic families, these communities need this protection if they are going to continue to be able to access schools of their own religious ethos.
As I have stated previously this is a complex area and there are no easy solutions to this problem but I believe that the approach taken is a reasonable and proportionate approach to balance the rights of all.
