School Patronage

School Patronage

Wednesday, 20 June 2012

Senator Ivana Bacik: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, to the House and thank him for taking this matter. My question to the Minister for Education and Skills, which was timely given the announcement today of the Minister's action plan in response to the advisory group on the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector, was specifically on the provision of additional multidenominational school places in the Portobello area in Dublin 8 on the basis of recommendation A4, which is at page 61 of the report of the advisory group on patronage and pluralism. It recommended that where significant demand for a new school type has already been evidenced, a building should be made available by the Department of Education and Skills from existing school stock as soon as possible.

The Portobello Educate Together group, of which I am chair, has already demonstrated significant demand for a new school type in our area. We have 637 members, a total of 409 children pre-enrolled for school between 2013 and 2016, and parents who are clamouring for additional multidenominational school places in our area, even for this year. We hope to see a new multidenominational school established in our area by September 2013.

I am delighted that in today's announcement the Minister has accepted the recommendations of the advisory group. I am pleased to see that his action plan sets out a clear timetable for the carrying out of transfer or divestment of patronage in primary schools where parents and local communities require it but I am anxious that in our area we would see change earlier than envisaged in the Minister's timeline because we have already demonstrated a clear and unchallengeable need for the provision of more multidenominational school places in our area.

Our area is one of the 44 areas designated by the Minister in his response today as requiring a survey of parental demand to establish whether greater diversity of patronage is required but we have already established that requirement. We have established that parents in our area require greater diversity of provision of school type and that we fit precisely within recommendation A4 of the advisory group, which was that the Minister should proceed immediately to provide new school space where the demand has been established. In other words, it should not go into the timeline provided for the surveying of parents in particular areas.

I ask whether any progress has been made. I understood that our area was a pilot area for transfer or divestment and that progress had been made. Has the Minister of State anything to report in terms of that progress?

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills (Deputy Ciarán Cannon): I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, the Minister for Education and Skills.

As the Senator is aware, in June of last year the Minister announced that up to 40 new schools are to be established within the next six years to provide sufficient school capacity to meet our increased demographics. These consisted of 20 new primary schools and 20 new post-primary schools. That announcement did not include a proposal to establish a new primary school in the area referred to by the Senator. However, the forward planning section of the Department will continue to monitor enrolments in the Portobello area to ensure there is sufficient school accommodation to meet any projected future demands.

The report of the advisory group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector was published in April of this year. The report's findings and recommendations have been considered, and the Minister outlined his action plan in response to the advisory group report this morning.

In regard to divesting, the advisory group recommended that the process of divesting of patronage would commence in 47 identified areas of stable population with likely demand for diversity. The Minister agrees in principle with the approach to divesting outlined in the forum report and intends to commence the process immediately.

On the areas to be surveyed, as the Senator is aware, the 47 areas referred to in the report were identified at the request of the Catholic Church in 2010 and the list was drawn up based on criteria applied to data from the 2006 census.

Since the Minister published the forum report in April, new data has become available from the 2011 census. The Minister has decided to update the list of areas to be surveyed to reflect the new data available from census 2011 and to take account of areas where primary school diversity is already provided or planned. In summary, this means that the number of areas to be surveyed in the initial phase is 44. I am pleased to inform the Senator that among the Dublin areas to be surveyed in this initial phase are Dublin 4, 6 and 8.

The divesting process will involve the gathering of evidence by the forward planning section of the Department of Education and Skills on the scale of divestment required in the identified areas.

Parents will be given full information on the different types of schools and the different patron bodies. Helplines will be put in place during the survey period to deal with any queries from parents.

Surveying will be carried out in five pilot areas initially - these areas are yet to be decided - with surveys being carried out in these areas in October this year. I understand the Minister aims to start surveying in the balance of the 44 areas in November. I thank the Senator for raising this important issue.

Senator Ivana Bacik: Can the Minister of State give me any more information in terms of the Portobello group? I am disappointed because there is nothing new in his response. The group is not looking for additional school accommodation. It is looking for a change in the type of school accommodation being provided in our area. That fits squarely within the need for transfer or divestment of patronage, and we had understood our area was at an advanced stage for a transfer or divestment from an existing Catholic school to become multidenominational. Has the Minister of State anything specific to say or will he bring my request for specific information to the Minister, Deputy Quinn, and ask whether more detail could be provided because there is nothing new in the answer given?

Deputy Ciarán Cannon: I have no more information other than what is available in the response from the Minister, Deputy Quinn, but I undertake to pass on the Senator's concerns and ambitions for the Portobello area to the Minister. I would point out that if we are to proceed with the divestment of school patronage in particular areas we must be able to rely on sufficient data to allow us make that decision to divest to an alternative patronage. To move ahead without having that scientific surveying carried out in areas would be unwise.

The response refers to five pilot areas initially. The Senator might have a word with her colleague to see if it would be possible to have the Portobello area included in those five pilot areas.

Senator Ivana Bacik: I will do that. I thank the Minister of State.