Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)

She did so during the by-election. The Minister saw the pupil-teacher ratios. Scoil na Mainistreach in Celbridge has a ratio of 27.7:1, Scoil Bríd in Celbridge is 26.5:1, Scoil Bhríde in Leixlip is 27:1, Scoil Choca Naofa in Kilcock is 29:1, Scoil Mochua in Celbridge is 28.5:1 and the Holy Child national school in Naas is 30:1. All these schools have yards full of prefabs and waiting lists of children who have not been admitted owing to overcrowding. This is not an exhaustive list as there are many more. For example, Saint Corban's national school in Naas was promised a prefab classroom to allow its physical education room to return to service. The Minister made this promise during the recent by-election but we have not seen sight nor sound of the prefab or the Minister since.

Kill national school is bursting at the seams. The school is located on a virtual traffic island in the middle of the N7 upgrade works. Where is the often promised new national school for Kill? It has been promised by Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats in the past three elections but has failed to materialise and the children of Kill suffer on. Kildare now has the highest pupil-teacher ratio in the whole country at 27.2 pupils per teacher. Only 4% of Kildare children are taught in classes of fewer than 20 pupils while 37% are in classes of more than 30 pupils. This is a disgrace and a public scandal. We have the money to correct it and I demand we do so now. I pay tribute to the teachers who are working under these circumstances in my constituency. Given the circumstances, they do excellent jobs. I demand that the Government acts on its promise and fulfils it in time for the next election.

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