Dublin West

Patrick Nulty:

Many thanks for getting in touch and for the information you provide on Atheist Ireland. I am well aware of your site and your ongoing campaigns and wish you success in the future. While I am happy to answer the questions below, I would add the caveat that many matters will be dealt with further in the Labour Party Manifesto which will be published in the coming days. I want to facilitate you with a speedy response so will answer in a personal capacity.

1. Will you work to reform the education system so that all children in your constituency can access publicly-funded schools which have no religious ethos?
Yes. As you may know, due to significant demographic changes, Dublin 15 and the overall Dublin West constituency have in many ways been the focal point of much of the debate regarding non-denominational and multi-denominational education over the past decade. I recognise the extraordinary work being done by teachers in all local schools – Catholic, Educate Together or otherwise – in educating our young people in what are often very difficult circumstances. I also recognise the hard work of school management – parents, staff, community and political representatives and, in many cases, clergy and lay representatives who have struggled in the context of huge class sizes and a swiftly-changing educational context. Despite a shift in rhetoric, movement from the Catholic hierarchy in ceding control over local schools has been very slow indeed. As a socialist and a republican in the very basic sense of those words, I am in favour, in the long term, of a school system which is entirely secular. One of the key questions is how we will get there. Imposing secularism on schools which are currently religious is not a process which I believe will be successful. If I’m elected to the Dáil I want to work for a carefully-planned but targeted reform of the system which will move away from faith transmission and religious school management. I don’t believe this will be a swift or easy process but I do believe it is necessary.

2. Would you support a referendum to remove religious references from the Constitution?
Yes. References to God in the preamble and in Articles 6, 12, 31, 34 and 44 are anachronistic and against the concept of a secular, inclusive republic for which I stand. I would be interested in hearing any Constitutional proposals from any group. I would however point out that there are other serious reforms required in our Constitution to ensure rights which may become more of a political priority, e.g. children’s rights, right to housing, etc. The Labour Party has proposed a constitutional convention which will draw together a range of views in civil society to establish a new constitution. Without wishing to go off the point I do think its important to note that many of the most progressive voices in Irish society often come from a position of faith. Our task must be to shape a constitution where people of all religions and none are respected and which copperfastens the social, economic and cultural rights of every citizen.

3. Do you believe that blasphemy should be a criminal offence?
No.

4. Would you support legislation to prevent hospitals from having a religious ethos?
I would, but with the same caveat I expressed with regard to schools, that such a process must be carefully planned.

5. If elected, would you vote to ensure that religious bodies are treated the same as other organisations under equality and employment legislation?
In general, I would favour this. However, I would need to examine any such legislation in detail.

6. Do you believe that religions should have to pay their fair share of tax on income that does not come from charitable activities?
I would be interested in reading proposals from Atheist Ireland and other bodies with regard to this. Issues of definition – what constitutes charitable activities, for example – are important here.

7. If you wish to provide a brief general statements of your views on the future development of secularisation in Ireland, or to highlight any previous comments you have made on related issues, please do so.
I have been involved in politics since I was a teenager, first with the student movement and Labour Youth, and now as a public representative. In all this time I have advocated a very clear agenda – the creation of a progressive, secular republic in Ireland where equality is the overarching principle.

In addition, see the Labour Party response on behalf of all its candidates.

Leo Varadkar:

1. Will you work to reform the education system so that all children in your constituency can access publicly-funded schools which have no religious ethos?
I believe that – as far as possible, and compatible with a fair allocation of state resources – there should be a diversity of schools for parents to choose from. Within that context, I believe that parents, where real demand exists, have options including the above. I have as a councillor and a TD in Dublin 15 long supported the efforts of parents who have sought educational diversity for their children. My constituency is home to several Educate Together and Community National Schools which do not have a religious ethos as well as one non-designated secondary school. I am proud to have been one of the people who helped to bring those schools into existence.

2.Would you support a referendum to remove religious references from the Constitution?
The only religious reference that I am aware of is the preamble and is not in the Constitution itself. I am not a religious person by it does not bother me to have a reference to God in the preamble. I don’t think that religion is a bad thing or that it should be banished from public life. I prefer an inclusive approach the respects that some people are believers and others are not. I have no time for fundamentalism, religious or secular. There are more pressing issues which require the constitutional revision such as the protection of children and the role of our political institutions.

3. Do you believe that blasphemy should be a criminal offence?
No.

4. Would you support legislation to prevent hospitals from having a religious ethos?
No. State-owned hospitals should be secular. But many voluntary hospitals such as the Mater are owned by a religious institution. I would not ban the Mater from having a religious ethos and it would an appalling use of the health budget to purchase or CPO the Mater and other religious-owned hospitals when the owners currently allow us to use them rent free.

5. If elected, would you vote to ensure that religious bodies are treated the same as other organisations under equality and employment legislation?
There are difficulties in requiring institutions which promote certain beliefs and societal structures to hire and employ staff who may not share those beliefs. This is a real issue and not one which can be wished away. This is no easy solution to this, and the blunt instrument of applying all aspects of such legislation to religious bodies will cause much difficulty.

6. Do you believe that religions should have to pay their fair share of tax on income that does not come from charitable activities?
I am not overly familiar with the tax laws as they apply to charitable and religious institutions and the revenue streams of such bodies, so would be reluctant to offer any definitive view. However, I do not see any reason why religious charitable organisations should not get the same treatment as secular ones.

In addition, please see the statement provided by Fine Gael on behalf of all its candidates.

Roderic O’Gorman:

1. Will you work to reform the education system so that all children in your constituency can access publicly-funded schools which have no religious ethos?
I support choice in education. This means that parents should have the right to send their children to schools with a religious ethos or to one with none.

2. Would you support a referendum to remove religious references from the Constitution?
The Green Party supports major constitutional reform and will be proposing the possibility of the writing of a new constitution. The status of religious reference would obviously be part of this. Personally, other than a guarantee of the right of freedom of religion, I see no need for it to be mentioned further in the constitution.

3. Do you believe that blasphemy should be a criminal offence?
No. It should be removed from both legislaiton and the Constitution

4. Would you support legislation to prevent hospitals from having a religious ethos?
I would not support any newly built hospitals having religious a religious ethos. I would be concerned about forcibly trying to take the religious ethos away from hospitals that currently possess them.

5. If elected, would you vote to ensure that religious bodies are treated the same as other organisations under equality and employment legislation?
Yes

6. Do you believe that religions should have to pay their fair share of tax on income that does not come from charitable activities?
In principle yes, but I would need more specifics on exactly what you are referring to.

In addition, see the statement provided by the Green Party on behalf of all its candidates.
Green Party statement

Kieran Dennison:

Thank you cor contacting me. I do share many of your views but as you say I am extremely busy right now. As well as running a business, attending to my council duties and running in the general election, I have to respond to an average of 30 emails of this type every day from a myriad of organisations. I have been a public representative since June 2009 and all of them could have contacted anytime since then. I will be happy to give detailed answers to your questions after the election (wheather elected or not) so please feel free to contact me then.

In addition, please see statement by Fine Gael on behalf of all its candidates.

Paul Donnelly:

See the statement provided by Sinn Fein on behalf of all its candidates.

Joan Burton:

See the statement provided by the Labour Party on behalf of all its candidates.

No Response Received From:

Brian Lenihan

David McGuinness

Joe Higgins

Clement Esebamen

Fine Gael statement

Green Party statement