The Catholic Church has expressed its desire to be considered as a patron for new schools in growing areas, 
pointing out that demand still exists for such schools.
In confidential documents sent to the Department of Education, and leaked to the Irish Independent, the Bishops, together with the Catholic Primary School Management Association (CPSMA), point out that between 2002 and 2006 the Catholic population of the country increased by 218,840.
Thus, the document says, “there is still clearly a need for new Catholic primary schools and provision must be made for such in newly developing areas”.
The submission is drafted in the context of discussions between the Church and the Department regarding the potential handover of some Catholic schools to alternative patronage.
The document expresses the expectation that any transfer of ownership would lead to the Department regarding future applications by the Church for the recognition of new Catholic primary schools.
“It is expected that the preparedness of the Catholic Church to consider transferring ownership in certain circumstances is something which will merit favourable consideration in applications for recognition of new Catholic schools, this would be a reciprocation of goodwill,” the submission says.
The documents also confirm the church’s opposition to the type of religious education programme offered in multi-denominational schools.
The submission also states that “a neutral religious common education syllabus is unacceptable”, as does a separate submission from the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI).
Chairman of the Catholic Schools Partnership, Fr Michael Drumm, said that the submissions needed to be read in the context of a situation where very few new Catholic primary schools and virtually no new Catholic secondary schools had been approved in the past 20 years.
The concern was that the Catholic Church would be excluded from the provision of new schools, he said, adding there was no contradiction between its position, as repeated last week, of its willingness to divest some of its schools and at the same time seek schools in new areas.
He suggested it would be “laughable” to suggest that the Church divests some of its schools to promote diversity of provision and was then excluded from providing schools in new areas where parents wanted them.
A submission from the CPSMA Galway Diocesan branch says that when a new Catholic parish is established, consideration should be given to setting up a parish primary school as soon as possible.
However, Paul Rowe, chief executive of the non-denominational Educate together organisation, last night attacked the submissions, saying that he was surprised that any patron would seek special treatment in the allocation of new schools on the basis of property transfers.
Labour education spokesman Ruairi Quinn also attacked the document, claiming that they indicated that the Catholic Church did not contemplate reducing its near monopoly of primary school patronage.