Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

It is widely accepted that the issue of class size was the Stalingrad issue that resulted in the Minister's predecessor being moved from the Department of Education and Science. Any reasonable observer, to use the Minister's words, might come to the conclusion that the Government promised in 2002 that no child of nine years of age or younger would be in a class of 20 or more by 2007. How many children of nine or under are now in a class of 20 or more? Is it still the commitment of the Government to have a ratio of no more than 20:1 for classes with children of nine or younger?

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