The Catholic hierarchy have welcomed the publication of a paper by the Department of Education listing the areas in which the Church can begin transferring some of its primary schools to new patrons.

There are forty-three small and medium-sized towns that meet the Department’s criteria for the hand-over of schools.

These criteria are that the areas have a population of greater than 5,000 and less than 20,000, that there are at least three primary schools within 2km of the CSO town boundary, that there is very limited diversity of provision in the area at present, and that the area did not experience more than 20pc growth in the period 2002-2006.

Commenting on the paper, the Bishops said that they have “for some time stressed their willingness to cooperate in the process of ensuring a greater variety of patronage within the primary school system to respond to the needs of parents.”

They stressed: “Parental choice is the key area with regard to education. Both the Irish Constitution and the teaching of the Catholic Church emphasise the primary role of parents in the education of their children.”

On this basis they also stressed that Catholic schools should only be handed over to new patrons after extensive consultation with parents.

Their statement challenged the idea that denominational schools are less inclusive than other types of schools stressing that denominational schools reached out to “students with special needs, to various socially disadvantaged groups, to ethic/racial minorities and by providing education in communities suffering from serious socio-economic problems.”

A poll conducted by RedC last year on behalf of The Iona Institute showed that 75pc of the public support the principle of parental choice.