Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

——to recall those meetings and remind them of the blatant lies told by the Members opposite during the course of the election campaign. Let us revisit that campaign because we need to expose those who spoofed the Irish people and parents on this issue.

In 2002, the then Minister, Deputy Mary Hanafin, promised that by 2007 no nine year old or younger would be in a class of 20 or more. As I stand here today, 200,000 of those children are in our primary school system and in classes of more than 20. A blatant lie was told in 2002. The Government went further in 2007.

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