The education part of the programme for Government has a section entitled Diversity and Choice for Parents. It states "[w]e need a dynamic and innovative education system that reflects the diversity of Twenty First Century Ireland" which will "[reflect] the need in modern Ireland for new forms of multi-denominational and non-denominational [schools]". What is happening on the ground flies directly in the face of that stated objective. Five Educate Together schools throughout the country, including the Trim Educate Together school in my county of Meath, have been instructed by the Department of Education and Skills to adopt a half-stream only enrolment policy this year which will restrict them to enrolling only 13 students. The Department has tried to deflect by stating a study from five years ago claims there is no demand, but Emma O'Kelly of RTÉ caught it out this morning on "Morning Ireland" on its misquote. On the impact on existing schools, they exist. The Minister knows that the school in Trim has been operating out of a golf club on Kildalkey Road for the past four years because I raised the issue with him last year. Will the Government back its pledge to have a dynamic and innovative education system and reverse this discriminatory half-stream policy for Educate Together schools?

I call Deputy Mary Butler who will be followed by Deputy Thomas Byrne on the same matter.

Page 86 of the programme for Government states "[e]ducation is the key to giving every child an equal opportunity in life". Unfortunately, that is not the case for five Educate Together schools which were recently informed that for the coming enrolment year they must adhere strictly to a half-stream intake of 13 junior infants. I refer especially to Tramore Eduate Together school which has gone from the strength to strength since it opened in 2014 and has applications in respect of 29 infants in 2018 and 28 in 2019. I appeal to the Taoiseach to remove the restriction that there only be a half-stream intake as it does not make sense. The parents who have enrolled their children, many of whom already have siblings in the school, are extremely disappointed and cannot understand why the decision was taken.

In the programme for Government the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton, announced a plan to deliver 400 new multidenominational schools. On 30 January 2017 the Minister announced an accelerated plan to deliver these schools. Last week the same story was given by him to the Irish Independent as a new news story. He is bringing back the half-stream school into urban areas. Will it be hedge schools next? For announcements and press releases, he would receive a H1 grade in the leaving certificate examinations. However, for actual delivery on the ground, he would receive a H8 or a no grade as we called it in the past.

I assure the House that, in line with demographic changes, we are conducting a review of the capacity of all schools in all areas and that work will soon be completed.

That work is meant to be done already.

Where a school is approved, it is always approved for a certain capacity in terms of its intake. That is to ensure we provide schools in line with the demographic needs of each area and that is always clear when the school is approved.

On the wider issue raised by Deputy Cassells, we have a new patronage model. We are commencing surveys across the country to encourage the live transfer of schools from one patronage to another. These surveys will establish the desire of parents to see such a transfer and it will be operated by the locally supported education training boards, ETBs. This is a new approach to seek to accelerate what has been a very difficult and slow process of transferring from an existing patronage to another one.

That was accelerated a year ago.

Can I get an answer in regard to the half-stream intake?