Margaret Conlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

Hard-working, diligent teachers must be provided with a pathway of progression in their workplace. Access to appropriate support and training, together with a constant drive to upgrade, update and continually improve as a teacher, will lead to a more rewarding career and to more effective outcomes for our young people passing through the education system. We must continue to attract the right people into teaching and, when we have done so, we must continue to provide them with every available opportunity for professional development to ensure they are effective educators. Teacher quality is the single most important factor in improving outcomes. The number of teachers relative to students is but one of many variables affecting the quality of education provision.

We must acknowledge that we cannot work or seek further funding for education in a vacuum. It is not possible in the current economic climate to solve all the outstanding issues with the stroke of a pen. We must cut our cloth according to our measure. The programme for Government is a five-year programme and one cannot realistically expect all goals to be achieved in the first year. We are experiencing a changed economic climate as are many economies at this time. We know that economies go through cyclical phases and Ireland is no different. It is important we manage the challenges that this presents.

No Department or Minister will ever have enough money and this Minister for Education and Science and his Department are no different. However, they are not alone. The Departments of Health and Children, Transport, Social and Family Affairs, to name but a few, would also like more funding. We must accept that we have finite resources. We cannot have sound management of public finances and continue to spend extra money without identifying priorities. We must spend according to our means. To do otherwise would be reckless and would have serious ramifications for the future.

I am confident that this Minister and this Government will continue to build on the major achievements in education and will do so in a manner consistent with overall prudent management of the Irish economy. We must not lose sight of the need to be student-centred at all times. This must be at the heart of all our objectives. I have every confidence in the Minister's ability and commitment to deliver on the priorities set out in the programme for Government in the lifetime of this Government. I am happy to support the amendment.

See this speech in context