Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

In my area, a school that sought three additional SNAs was given a cut of three. It is down six SNAs compared to what it needs. This Government does not get all of the nonsense about cuts, quarters and caps. Some 10,000 additional children come into our education system every year. Either we provide for them and for their education as a matter of right or we use excuses about the EU-IMF, the programme we have signed up to, economic realities, being in a straitjacket and all the nonsense we get from the Government. The Government is in a straitjacket because it made a decision to adhere to a programme that is stripping this country of the services it needs to look after our most vulnerable children.

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