THE DEPARTMENT of Education said it would "consider" the most direct criticism made in recent times by the Catholic bishops of the department's claimed policy preference for multi-denominational education. In an outspoken defence of the church's role in education, Bishop Leo O'Reilly, chairman of the Irish Bishops' Conference commission on education, asserted that "there seemed to be a policy assumption in the Department of Education that every new school at second level should be multi-denominational. We don't accept that should be the case".
Dr O'Reilly, the Bishop of Kilmore, in an address to the Parnell Summer School in Co Wicklow, said his church was "committed to denominational education and intended to remain a provider as long as parents choose Catholic schools".
He also said the Bishops' Conference was concerned that scant reference to school patrons in the new Code of Practice on the Provision of Schools seemed to "relegate them to the past and seems to consign their role in school ownership to history".
He expressed concern that a draft lease agreement for school buildings made with the department in 2004 had yet to be agreed and published.
In what amounted to a public hardening of stance from earlier comments by Catholic bishops, he reasserted their position: "I feel that it is important to place on the record - unambiguously - what heretofore could be assumed but now needs to be expressly stated, namely, that the Catholic Church makes no apology for its ongoing presence in education delivery," he said.
The spokesman for Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe last night said the department was aware of the views expressed by Bishop O'Reilly from previous discussions.
"The matters . . . fall into the wider space of the planning for future school provision," he said. "They will be considered along with the views of other patron interests, and the wider education partners, as future policy in this area evolves."
However, Fine Gael last night claimed that Bishop O'Reilly's comments highlighted Government neglect on the fundamental issue of patronage.
The party's education spokesman Brian Hayes said that a year ago he called for a national forum on the future of education that would analyse the issues of ownership, patronage, management, funding and access. He said that both Mr O'Keeffe and his predecessor Mary Hanafin had ignored his call.
"This would have involved all relevant stakeholders, from the bishops to the department to teachers, parents and politicians and would have allowed all issues to be fleshed out.
"A national forum would allow public debate and would make any [other] arguments - as seen yesterday with the bishop's comments - unnecessary. It should be established immediately," said Mr Hayes.
A spokesman for the Labour Party said its view was that there should be as many options for delivery of education as possible.
"Clearly, however, there is a demand from parents for multi-denominational education," he said.
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