Senator Bacik calls for debate on School Patronage

Order of Business

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

Senator Ivana Bacik: I commend the Leader on organising Thursday's briefing on the EU treaty. I agree with what Senator Darragh O'Brien said about attendance and I certainly recommend it to all the Labour Senators. It is very important to have a good attendance from Senators at that important briefing. However, I wish to respond to what he said on where the Government stands on the treaty. Clearly, the Government stands on the point that this referendum is about the EU fiscal compact treaty, not about anything else. There is a very clear voice from the Government on this. I heard the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, just this morning making that clear. There are other issues, of course, which will be helpful, as they would be to any “Yes” campaign in

-----including the issue of the promissory notes that the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, mentioned.

To hear Fianna Fáil calling for a clear message when there are two voices on the treaty emanating from that party is ironic.

{Interruptions}

…I call for a debate with the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, on schools patronage. I take issue with Senator Darragh O'Brien's comment that minority faiths feel the Government is doing nothing for them. Far from it.

…Deputy Quinn is the first education Minister to set up a national forum on patronage and pluralism in primary schools.

… It is due to report in the next several weeks and it will examine precisely how parents' conscience and preference in terms of faith schooling for their children will be accommodated in a fast-changing Ireland in which we see increasing numbers of children of different faiths and no faiths.

…Our current system of school patronage with 96% of primary schools under Catholic patronage does not reflect the growing reality of Irish families today.

… I compliment the Minister's announcement today-----

----- on the patronage of a number of new schools, including several Educate Together schools in Tallaght and elsewhere, which will reflect a multidenominational ethos which is very important.

I have a question for the Leader on Syria. All Members must be appalled by what they see happening in the besieged city of Homs and today's reports on the torture of not just civilians, but hospital patients by Syrian Government forces. It would be useful if the House could agree a cross-party motion calling in particular on the Russian Government, now that Vladimir Putin has been re-elected President, to withdraw support from the brutal regime of Assad and move towards a ceasefire where Syrian Government troops no longer fire indiscriminately into and causing blatant atrocities against civilians in Homs.