Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)

I fully support this motion calling for a place for all children in primary education and to reduce class size to international best practice. Last night, the Minister tried to bamboozle us with a range of statistics. However, she cannot get away from the simple and central fact that this country, with its super successful economy and the boast that it is one of the most affluent in the developed world still has a deplorable record on class size, way behind most of our European partners. The Minister boasts of the recent improvements. However, these are the least one could expect at a time of unprecedented wealth and resources. Far more could and should have been done long before now.

In my constituency, which I share with the Taoiseach, there are still disgraceful inequities with regard to educational opportunity. In the Dublin 1 area, the reality of disadvantaged education, which the Minister is claiming to be doing so much about, is that a majority of children from the primary schools in Dublin 1 and parts of Dublin 7 still do not go on to third level education. Many drop out before they complete second level.

The Minister's policy on special needs and resource teachers discriminates against the smaller, inner city acutely disadvantaged schools, the schools most in need of positive discrimination for resources and teachers. This would give children half a chance of getting on in life. This discrimination is the reason we have, in those same areas, an ongoing and worsening drugs crisis. So much could be done for these children through education, but the State continues to fail to provide adequately for them.

In the Cabra area of my constituency, parents have made huge efforts to build up a Gaelscoil, with the sole aid of the local St. Fionbarra GAA club. They have had marvellous success, yet the Government is leaving them to soldier on in dilapidated prefabs and a discarded builder's hut. The Dublin 7 Educate Together school was recently forced to call an emergency public meeting of parents before it could establish whether it would have any premises in the coming school year.

I will conclude by paying tribute to a person who throughout her teaching life did much for the most disadvantaged children in the areas served by Rutland Street national school. I refer to the late Máire Buckley, the teacher who had only just retired before being tragically killed in the mayhem a week ago on the Naas Road. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

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