Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and officials and thank them for attending. Every Minister will make a case as to why their Department should not have to make such large adjustments and argue their corner. Has the Minister made that case? We are looking to the future to try to break this cycle we seem to encounter every 30 years where we go bust as a country. Education will form a major part of breaking the 30-year cycle we have had since the foundation of the State. Can the Minister go back and make a case that we cannot afford to cut €44 million from our budget this year because the long-term costs would be detrimental to the State? What efforts have been made to date and could the Minister make further efforts to reduce that figure?

Along with detrimental costs to society, one area from budget 2012 that is still impacting and about to impact further relates to small schools. The highest tier of that adjustment is about to kick in for the forthcoming academic year. Even at this stage, could that be reviewed, could there be a row back from implementing that highest tier and could we stay at the second tier announced in budget 2012?