Plan to limit school places for children of past pupils to go

Minister for Education Richard Bruton is expected to drop the previous government's plan to limit the number of places schools may set aside for children of past pupils.

In the previous government, the Labour Party had sought to introduce "old school tie" legislation which would limit the number of places schools could set aside to 10 per cent.

The move had faced resistance from a number of private schools and some Fine Gael TDs.

The Minister's plans for new admissions legislation do not contain any commitment for such a restriction, and sources on Wednesday night indicated he had no plans to press ahead with this provision. There is also understood to be unease within Fianna Fáil over any such move.

A spokesman for Mr Bruton said no decision on the matter has been reached.

Mr Bruton on Thursday started a process of consultation with Opposition parties as part of his proposals to introduce a new admissions Bill aimed at making the process of enrolling children in school easier for parents.

The Minister has written to all parties inviting them to meet him to discuss a range of new education initiatives which he hopes to implement and intends to publish a new Bill before the summer.

Waiting lists

The spokesman said a central part of the Bill would make it easier for parents to get children into the school they want without worrying about waiting lists or contributions.

Schools will be obliged to phase out waiting lists for prospective students from September of next year under planned legislation.

It would also make it easier for parents to access information and be consulted about schools’ admissions policies, the spokesman said.

In addition, plans of how schools propose to deal with issues around religious instruction would be made more explicit.

Waiting lists are seen to discriminate against parents who have relocated within Ireland or immigrants.

The spokesman said no decision had been made on whether the new legislation would include a number of places that could be set aside for children of past pupils, though this may be a matter for discussion during the legislative process.

The spokesman for Mr Bruton said the programme for government had committed to new legislation and would “take account” of previous draft proposals.