John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)

I wish to share time with Deputies Charlie O'Connor, Niall Blaney and Martin Mansergh.

While I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate, I do not support the motion. Reading a print-out of the text of this week's Private Members' business in my constituency office on Friday afternoon, I was taken aback by its lack of detail. One of the shortest motions to come before the House, its content will be popular given that no school would refuse a 100% increase in its capitation grant. It states that "many", although not all, schools have financial difficulties but does not attempt to estimate or evaluate the scale of these difficulties.

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