Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

The problems facing schools such as Gaelscoil Sairseal result from the size of classrooms, rather than class size. Such schools must accommodate 35 people in grossly overcrowded classrooms. They are not interested in the minute difference between pupil-teacher ratios of 22:1 and 20:1. They simply want new schools and new classrooms. This is why we have diverted the resources in this fashion and why the Government has set out its stall as to where it will prioritise resources on the capital side, in terms of special needs education and in terms of education for disadvantaged children. We have set out our stall and where our priorities lie and to date I have not heard the Opposition state where its priorities lie.

Schools in my constituency like Gaelscoil Chalagh an Treoigh and Gaelscoil Seoirse Clancy want new facilities and new classrooms. They do not necessarily want radical reductions in class sizes, given the reductions that have already taken place. It would be wholly inadequate to tell overcrowded schools, such as Gaelscoil Sairseal in Limerick, that they will not receive new classrooms but will receive new teachers who must teach in classrooms which are completely inadequate.

Concentrating on infrastructure is far preferable to immediately moving to a pupil-teacher ratio of 20:1. The latter move is not practical because schools need more classrooms to immediately introduce such a pupil-teacher ratio. This is why the Government has focused on the largest ever capital funding of education. Let us compare the current level funding with previous levels. When the rainbow Government was in power, it reduced funding on the capital programme. Our funding is five times the figure spent by the rainbow Government. In the three years of the rainbow Government's tenure of office, 40% of all classes in Limerick contained more than 30 pupils. This figure is now 21%, representing considerable and continuous progress in this area.

Are we now to suggest diverting all our resources and priorities into this one area to the neglect of special needs education and education for disadvantaged children? I think not. The record speaks for itself. A total of €3.9 billion has been spent in capital funding over five years, while €2.5 billion was spent between 2000 and 2006. In real terms, approximately €10 billion would be spent on capital expenditure in education over a ten-year period. This is approximately €1 billion per year in real terms. We can contrast this with a complete levelling off and no increases in funding between 1994 and 1997. More than 5,000 teachers are now working directly with primary school children with special needs, compared with 1,500 in 1998. Will anyone suggest in any motion before this House that this does not represent progress? This represents considerable progress. A total of 7,100 whole-time equivalent special needs assistants are now working in schools, compared with approximately 1,500 in 1998, which, again, represents considerable progress.

I would prefer to say to parents of children in these difficult circumstances that we recognise and are pumping resources into these marginalised and difficult areas. The Opposition has not stated that it would immediately lower the pupil-teacher ratio to 20:1 without taking funding from any other area.

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