ATHEIST IRELAND plans to write “to all election candidates asking their views on six questions that are central to building a rational, ethical society with a secular State that does not support any religion”.

The group plans to “ publish the candidates’ replies before the election”. It has asked voters to put the questions to candidates and to vote for those who favour “a rational, ethical, secular Ireland”.

The questions are:

Will you work to reform the education system so that all children in your constituency can access publicly-funded schools which have no religious ethos?

Would you support a referendum to remove religious references from the Constitution, including the religious oath for the President and judges?

Do you believe that blasphemy should be a criminal offence?

Would you support legislation to prevent State-funded hospitals from having a religious ethos that makes medical decisions based on religious beliefs?

Would you vote to ensure that religious bodies are treated the same as other organisations under equality and employment legislation?

Do you believe that religions, like other organisations, should have to pay their fair share of tax on income that is not used to fund charitable activities?

The group said that in the 2006 census “over a quarter of a million people either ticked the ‘No Religion’ box (186,000), or didn’t answer the question (70,000), or wrote in an answer that isn’t a religion (over 2,000)”.