O'Donoghue happy with equality talks despite EU doubts on Irish stance

The Minister for Justice expressed satisfaction last night after negotiations on a new EU equality directive which he said would allow Irish schools and hospitals to protect their religious ethos.

However, as Mr O'Donoghue left Luxembourg after an ill-tempered, 12-hour meeting, the EU Presidency cast doubt on his interpretation of the new equality directive and complained that Ireland gave no warning of its doubts about the original draft.

Mr O'Donoghue said last night the directive would preserve the right of denominational schools and hospitals to uphold their religious ethos when recruiting staff. And he claimed that his primary motivation in holding out for a change to the original wording of the directive was an obligation to protect the right of minority churches.

"I was seeking to ensure that no individual employed could undermine the ethos of an institution. I am confident that this directive is as close to the previous position in Ireland as was possible to achieve," he said.

The French Social Affairs minister, Ms Martine Aubry, said the directive would allow denominational schools to insist that religion teachers should share the religious ethos of the school. But she claimed that teachers of other subjects would be protected from discrimination on the grounds of religious faith.

Many of Ireland's EU partners expressed puzzlement at the Government's stubbornness over the religious issue, not least because the directive already grants an important opt-out for Northern Ireland's police service and schools. The new Police Service of Northern Ireland will be allowed to ignore the anti-discrimination legislation if it conflicts with recommendations in the Patten Report aimed at increasing the number of Catholic officers.

Mr O'Donoghue denied the Government had made a diplomatic blunder in its handling of the debate and said that Ireland's record at the EU spoke for itself.

"I don't believe we squandered any goodwill. It's very unusual for Ireland to put its head above the parapet like this. We've always sought to compromise with others," he said.

The Minister confirmed that his officials have been lobbied by representatives of the four main Christian churches who expressed concerns about the original draft of the directive.

The general secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, Senator Joe O'Toole, condemned the Government's stance as an assault on the right to privacy of Irish teachers. "Are we now back to the days when teachers' private lives will come under scrutiny to establish whether or not they are upholding their employers' religious ethos? Are we back to the valley of the squinting windows?" he asked.

Mr O'Donoghue dismissed Mr O'Toole's objections as ill-informed and based on a misunderstanding of the Government's position.