Senator Bacik calls for a debate on the Patronage of National Schools, following the Murphy Report

Order of Business

Senator Ivana Bacik: I express to the Leader the concern of the Labour Party group at the way in which business in this House was ordered or, more accurately, disordered this week. We have had a difficult week in terms of the ordering of business. I am not suggesting all the responsibility for that lies with the Leader but there have been quite a number of piecemeal, last minute and unilateral changes to the Order of Business which have not been negotiated or agreed with the leaders of the other groups. There is, therefore, a kind of cavalier attitude to the ordering of business which does not make for good and orderly debate. This brings the House into disrepute and I ask the Leader that in future, certainly in the next two weeks and in the term following Christmas, we would have a more orderly decision-making process in regard to changing the times of business and debates. I know things happen at the last minute and, inevitably, there will be changes. However, yesterday, for example, quite a number of changes were made at the last minute to the Order of Business, which meant it was very difficult for us to ensure good debate took place on all the important matters we have to discuss. I ask for an answer on this issue.

I welcome the good and thorough debate yesterday on the report of the Murphy commission. However, there are other debates we need to have in this House flowing from the consequences of the Murphy report. One of the key issues is that we need to discuss the patronage of national schools, a matter a number of speakers raised yesterday during the debate on the Murphy commission. I mentioned in particular a speech by Bishop Donal Murray to a conference on catholic primary education in Ireland in Limerick on 22 May this year, where he acknowledged that catholic schools were simply not suitable for families that find the catholic ethos unacceptable, even though there would be areas in Ireland where families have no choice but to send their child to the local catholic school. He acknowledges a reality in that speech but it is unacceptable and unconstitutional that children are being forced to attend schools where they are receiving religious instruction in a faith against the wishes of their parent. That religious instruction is integrated throughout the school day in catholic schools.

Yesterday, Educate Together launched a manual in regard to patronage of multi-denominational schools. While many of the other patrons could learn from the very clear and transparent way in which it set out the responsibilities of patrons, we need an overall debate about patronage of schools, examining the way in which religious orders and institutions retain control, not only of schools but of hospitals. I know the Deputy Leader's colleague, Deputy Cuffe, raised a very particular point about the Archbishop of Dublin remaining as chair of the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin, which is a matter of real concern, as is the ongoing influence the catholic church has in the ethics committees of hospitals like the Mater Hospital.

Following on from the Murphy report, I welcome the news that the Minister, Deputy Martin, is to meet the papal nuncio. I hope he will express to him his great concern at the contempt with which the Vatican treated the Murphy commission. I hope he will say to him that it is simply not good enough for the catholic church to rely on mental reservations and diplomatic niceties to escape responsibility for the infliction of this most appalling abuse on so many of our children.