The Catholic Church in Ireland has welcomed a new survey indicating ‘strong support’ for publicly funded Catholic and faith-based education in the country. Just 16 per cent of relevant households expressed a desire for change at primary level, covering ages five to 13, according to the Government survey released earlier this month. The study is the latest in a series of government-led consultations with parents and communities over the past five years on the question of divesting, or removing Catholic patronage from, publicly funded schools. Almost 90 per cent of primary schools in Ireland are Catholic. Each consultation has returned the same result: parents giving a vote of confidence to Catholic education, despite the efforts of political and media agitators to drum up support for divestment.