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EDUCATION MINISTER RUAIRÍ Quinn has said he believes he has been caricatured as an enemy of the Catholic Church.
Quinn said the debate around changes to school patronage, which he has been pushing for since coming into Cabinet last spring, had become distorted.
But he said it was essential that changes were made to the system, and rejected suggestions that the patron of a school was a largely symbolic role.
“The power the patron has is very extensive, in terms of appointing the principal of the school,” he said. “Appointment of staff is also a function of the patron.”
Quinn told Claire Byrne on RTÉ’s Marian Finucane show that new changes would reduce the power of the role. “We’re amending the act to ensure that function can’t be used in a discriminatory way,” he said.
The minister said he was “not the enemy of any church”, but added: “I think I’ve been caricatured in that position.”
Under a revised system of school patronage, he said, he envisaged Catholic schools able to be “openly celebratory about their own religion” – but in an environment in which parents would have a free choice between denominational and non-denominational schools.
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If men were having the babies this would never happen. Disgraceful treatment of women in such a dangerous medical condition.
@2thFairy: Ah FFS, what a ridiculous thing to say. The article is about men not being allowed into the labour ward for enough time so the woman stayed in the car…with her partner…for support. Snide comments about men is not the solution here.
Why are we not demonstrating about the absolute state of our health system?
Stephen Donnelly doing his best ? Who’s running the country the government or the maternity hospitals. Sanction the hospitals if they don’t comply remove funding.
@Nan: She chose to stay in the car park? Whats the fuss?
@Nan: Well, we have a Minister for Health, then we have a Junior Minister for Health, then there is a Director General of the HSE, then a CEO of the HSE, then CEOs of the various hospital groups. Then there be deputies of the top positions. Might have missed a few. All these people paid a yearly EuroMillions lotto win and still the HSE is a joke shop.
If he didn’t pick up the phone and call the hospital today and get an answer to why this happened and if the hospital is not in compliance with the guidelines and he didn’t sack the person responsible before he hung up the phone, then he’s not fit to be in charge of the health service of this country.
@BK: Cause that how the world works
An absolute disgrace. Shame on this country. Women’s health is and has always been well down the list of priorities.
Always excuses. Nothing meaningful really happens.
My son and his wife had a baby boy on 4th October in Holles Street hospital and he was allowed in for the labour, birth and each and every day whilst Mum and baby were in patients. They came home on 9th and were so happy that they could stay with their baby till he was allowed out.. They found the hospital staff very accommodating and helpful…
The government caused it. Why can’t they fix it!
The Coombe, where she took her baby inside to a breakfast of cold toast and tea. The entire hospital needs to be shut down.
From what I gather the article says the lady was in the end stages of labour.. therefore she would’ve been admitted to the labour ward and her partner could’ve accompanied her as per the hospital’s guidelines??
have your say