Schedule 11
Equality Bill
7:45 pm
Evan Harris (Oxford West and Abingdon, Liberal Democrat)
I am listening carefully to the hon. Gentleman. I want to make it clear to him that the amendment does not say that faith schools must deny admission specifically and only to children of their own faith; it is saying that there should be no religious discrimination in admissions. There should be a level playing field for everyone. The status quo means that a school can say to a child, “You can’t come to this state school next door to where you live because you are a Jew. We are over-subscribed and we are only going to take children of parents who are Christians in this school.” That cannot be right. Does he think it is right? That is the status quo in some schools at the moment.