Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

Schools are aware of their allocation and the physical space available to them. If it is a question of physical space, €500 million is being spent on school buildings this year and, through the permanent initiative, schools can build extra classrooms. Teachers have to be allocated fairly and objectively and we are prioritising developing and disadvantaged schools and special needs students. By September 2007, there will be nearly 4,500 more primary school teachers in our schools than when this Government came to power. That is making a real difference to children.

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