I wish to raise the question of ensuring that our education system reflects the diversity of modern Ireland in the context of yesterday's debate on the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill.

While I welcome the fact that this House voted to remove the baptism barrier as an important first step in improving access to education, I am disappointed that the Government and Fianna Fáil voted down a number of amendments that sought to take the teaching of religion and faith formation out of the school day. It is wrong that children are segregated in the classroom and it is unfortunate that the Government and Fianna Fáil did not support those amendments.

The Minister, Deputy Bruton, announced on Monday that he plans to increase the provision of what he claims to be multidenominational and non-denominational schools. I have concerns about his decision to get the education and training boards, ETBs, to head up this process. The areas where these new schools will be located have been identified by the ETBs. Given that the ETBs will be bidding to become patrons of these schools, I think there is a definite conflict of interest here. My real concern about how the ETBs' view of multidenominational education is based on a view that has been expressed within the Department of Education and Skills regarding what multidenominational education means. I have been in correspondence with the Minister and the Secretary General of the Department. That correspondence has revealed the Department's frankly bizarre definition of what it understands to be multidenominational education. When the Secretary General was asked recently about the role of religion in schools, he stated that "[i]t is not unreasonable to expect in a multi denominational school that where the composition of the pupil body demands a Christian ethos to continue, that this is given expression in the life of the school." That is an extraordinary statement for the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills to make. It displays a complete misunderstanding of what multidenominational education is supposed to be. Surely the Tánaiste can see the conflict here. The idea that a State-run multidenominational school should adopt the ethos of the majority religion is fundamentally undermining of the core tenets of multidenominational education. Does the Government stand over the definition of multidenominational education that has been articulated by the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills?

There has been extensive consultation between the Government and the Opposition spokespeople on the legislation mentioned by the Deputy. I compliment the Minister, Deputy Bruton, on the work he has done to build consensus across the House on an appropriate way forward through Committee Stage, etc. It has not been straightforward. The approach that has been taken represents a fundamental change for the better in Irish education policy. It is important to recognise that as this legislation progresses and the debate on individual elements of the legislation continues. Of course people will have different opinions on the legislation, the core thrust of which should be welcomed and has been welcomed by most Members of this House.

The Deputy also asked about the role of the ETBs. It is important to say that the ETBs are locally based and have local representatives who are working with local childcare communities. We want to ensure appropriate and accurate surveys of parents are done. It makes sense as a practical approach to work with the ETB system to that end. I do not believe the ETBs will show any bias at all. The ETBs are managing the collection of data from surveys of parents. I think it is well capable of being trusted to do that. This initiative is designed to promote the transfer of patronage without closing schools and to ensure that process happens in a streamlined way that does not interrupt the education of children. I think that process needs to be supported from a practical point of view.

I am not sure it is possible or appropriate for me, on the floor of this House, to get into a definition of what is meant by multidenominational as an immediate response to a question that has been asked by a Deputy. I would need to know the context of that definition and the quote that has been provided by the Department. Perhaps the Deputy could provide that context. Then I could provide a more informed answer than I would if I gave an answer off the cuff today.

It is regrettable that the Tánaiste has dodged the question completely here. I have raised this matter with the Minister for Education and Skills in parliamentary questions in recent weeks, but he has avoided the question entirely. I have read a quote in which the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills sets out his understanding of what multidenominational education is. Any fair reading of that quote would suggest that how the Secretary General sees multidenominational education is the exact opposite of what multidenominational education should be. Does the Government agree with the Secretary General's definition? If this is the view of the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills, something needs to be done about it. We cannot have the senior person of the Department dictating what the policy for the future of our schools is going to be if he has such an outdated, outmoded and ill-informed view of what multidenominational education is. Will the Tánaiste tell us that he agrees with the Secretary General's views, or disassociate himself from those views? It is an important question.

Before I call the Tánaiste, it is probably not appropriate to ask the Tánaiste or any Minister to comment in the Chamber on a statement by a Secretary General. It appears to me that it might be more appropriate for the Oireachtas committee to invite the Secretary General to appear before it and engage in discussion there-----

Hear, hear.

-----as distinct from asking the Tánaiste to comment on the circumstances.

The Deputy can ask the question, but I am not going to give an answer that is not properly informed. I have not spoken to the Secretary General concerned and I am certainly not going to disassociate myself from him in the context of the positive work that the Department of Education and Skills has been doing in this tricky area. The Government supports diversity of educational patronage. Seeking new multidenominational or non-denominational patrons is part of what we are doing. Removing the right to use religion as a basis for selection when schools are facing choices in terms of future students is something we are addressing comprehensively in this legislation. Ensuring the right to opt out of religious programmes in schools is now going to be respected. We are going to put systems in place that can deliver on that. It is important to say that the previous initiative by the former Minister, Ruairí Quinn, which was welcome at the time, produced just ten new patronage schools across the country. We now have a new approach that is designed to accelerate the delivery of much more diversity of patronage of primary schools across the country. I think we can achieve that with the current approach that is being led by the Minister, Deputy Bruton.

It needs to be an honest approach.