The Minister for Children James Reilly has indicated the possibility of Ireland holding a referendum towards eroding the constitutional protection afforded to faith schools.

He appeared yesterday before the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was pressed repeatedly on religious patronage of schools in Ireland and admissions policies. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Minister Reilly said: “I don’t believe that it is appropriate that a child needs to be baptised to go to school.”

Quoted by The Irish Times newspaper, the Minister went on to point out the constitutional protection afforded to religious-backed schools and said “the only way to get forward momentum on this might be in the next government,” adding when asked about the possibility of a referendum, “that is the advice we have”.

While Article 42.4 of the Constitution acknowledges that the State provides for primary education and will not discriminate between schools managed by religious when providing State funding, Article 44.2.5 adds: “Every religious denomination shall have the right to manage its own affairs, own, acquire and administer property, movable and immovable, and maintain institutions for charitable purposes.”

Minister Reilly had led a 13-strong delegation of civil servants to Geneva to face questions on Ireland’s compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the first such examination since 2006. Among those accompanying the Minister was Caitríona O’Brien of the Department of Education, who, when asked by the UN committee if Ireland intends to amend section 7.3 of the Equal Status Act – which permits faith schools to admit children from the school’s faith community ahead of other children in the event of over-enrolment – said: “That’s the intention, yes.”