Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)

The Minister should listen because I know exactly what I am talking about.

The staff members who have responsibility for Athenry Vocational School and Loughrea Vocational School will not have the same remit next September. They will have to cover a larger catchment area with more students. Under the Bill's provisions, disruptive students will be removed from school. I could not imagine a better service than the home liaison community scheme to deal with disruptive students rather than expelling them. It has made a positive contribution in both Loughrea and Athenry. The teachers involved know both the students and parents. With the Exchequer brimming with tax returns, I cannot understand why this service is being reduced. The work of the scheme has a direct and positive bearing on disruptive students because it connects the problems with the family. While the process can be slow and tedious, it often works in assisting disruptive students. The Minister's legislative intention runs counter to this.

The National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, is another important service. In a reply to a parliamentary question, I learned 74 national schools in County Galway do not have direct access to the service. The Minister claimed there was another route they can take to gain access. I was not aware, until it was pointed out to me, that this can be an expensive route. Even for the schools with access to service, there is an upper quota on the children that can be seen by the psychologist in any one school each year. Principals have informed me that in national schools with up to four teachers, there is a limit to the number of children who can access the service. The service should be student-orientated. It is a good service that has ensured that children, who could have fallen through the system, were identified and assisted. I have known disruptive students who were identified at an early stage to have learning problems. Remedial action was taken and many have gone on to take university degrees. If that had not happened, God only knows where they would be now.

I agree with the Minister's recent comment that the interaction between pupils and teachers is of great importance. This makes it even more difficult to understand the overcrowding that exists in so many schools. I understand the people of my area will have the pleasure of a visit from the Minister next Saturday, during which I hope to have a chat with her. Pupils are walking over one another in Aughrim national school and in Cahergal national school outside Tuam, where there was a fire in recent weeks. I visited Aughrim last week and was astonished at the situation; one could not swing a cat in the old part of the school.

We cannot expect teachers and children to give of their best in such circumstances. As many Members have observed, class size has a major effect on pupils' performance, as do their surroundings. Children and teachers packed into a banana box will not do as well as those who enjoy the modern set-up desired by all. The Minister has a great personal interest in this area but much work remains to be done.

I cannot imagine why any Member would oppose our proposals regarding voluntary alcohol and drug testing in schools. If everybody signs up to such a scheme, including parents, teachers and boards of management, there is no reason that it should be contentious. Many parents and teachers would be only too pleased to see such schemes initiated on a voluntary basis. I sincerely hope they will be.

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