Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. While the Department has noble aspirations, they cannot be implemented without significant investment.

The Minister referred to DEIS schools. There have not been any new DEIS schools in recent years. We must prioritise opening up that scheme to provide access to good quality education and opportunities to more children.

I now invite members to ask questions on the Minister's opening statement, the departmental performance measures and the mid-year review of the position regarding outputs and expenditure in the various programmes and in capital services.