Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

I thank my colleague, Deputy O'Sullivan, and all the Labour Party and Fine Gael Party Members, for tabling this joint motion.

Members are constantly told that Ireland is one of the most successful countries in the world today. They are informed that it has outperformed the vast majority of our neighbours within the European Union. Day after day, the Government asserts that our State is the economic wonder of the western world, a beacon which many other countries wish to follow and emulate. Undoubtedly, some of our recent success is notable and the amount of funding available to the Government is unparalleled in Ireland's history. However, considering the state of many of our primary and secondary schools, the evidence of Ireland's recent success can be extremely hard to see. Put simply, the conditions in many schools are still seriously deficient. In a successful and modern country, it is little short of scandalous that many of our children continue to be taught in such classroom conditions.

Part of the Government's response has been to allocate prefabricated accommodation to schools. As Deputy O'Sullivan has noted, the Government has tabled a self-congratulatory amendment regarding the amount of money spent. However, I remind the House that from 2000 to 2004, almost €75 million was spent on the provision of prefabricated buildings at primary and post-primary levels. This money should have been spent on the bricks and mortar needed to build permanent classrooms, playgrounds and physical education facilities. Although prefabs do not take the place of proper school buildings, schools are all too frequently forced to use such temporary structures for years and even for decades.

When one also considers the considerable degree of overcrowding in our classrooms, one begins to form a more complete picture of the Government's commitment to primary and secondary education. Figures released to me in response to parliamentary questions demonstrate the extent to which our primary classrooms have become overcrowded. In the most recent academic year, more than 99,000 children were in classes of between 30 and 34 pupils and a further 9,000 children attended even larger classes.

In 2002, Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats made a commitment to reduce primary class sizes in their programme for Government. However, on taking office, the Minister downgraded this promise to the status of a noble aspiration. Members will be aware that as promises have little value as far as this Administration is concerned, noble aspirations have absolutely no currency.

The overall maximum class size guideline for primary school of 29 pupils is already far too high. However, this is exceeded in schools throughout the country. When questioned on this problem, the Minister is quick to blame individual schools for the larger classroom sizes. She has responded to my parliamentary questions with the explanation that where classes exceed 29 pupils, it is because schools have taken the decision to reduce class sizes elsewhere. This is not always the case and is a cop-out on the Government's part. If schools allocate teachers to reduce class sizes at junior level at a cost to pupils in senior classes, it is because the Government has not delivered on its promise in the programme for Government.

Parents in many parts of Ireland have realised there is a worse prospect than having one's child sandwiched into a class of 35 or 40 other pupils, namely, the possibility there may be no room for them in the classroom. For example, Members should consider the recent case in Swords, County Dublin, in which parents queued for days to gain a place for their daughters. The school in question, Loreto College, Swords, already operates above capacity. Although it was designed to serve 500 to 550 pupils when it was built, its current enrolment is 630 pupils. It is nothing short of scandalous that parents should have no option but to queue for days and nights to enrol their child at a local school.

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