Children's minister James Reilly calls for end of baptism links to schools

Parents should not be forced to have their children baptised to get a place in a State-funded school, Children’s Minister James Reilly has said, adding that it might be possible to change the situation through legislation rather than a referendum.

The deputy leader of Fine Gael said “it was not appropriate” that schools can insist that only children who have been baptised Catholic can get a place in their local school.

He was answering questions on Ireland’s adherence to the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child in Geneva, whereby the issue of discrimination on the basis of religion was allowed in schools.