John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Not only have these promises been reneged on, but class sizes are increasing. We cannot even compete with eastern European countries who are in the early stages of development. How can we claim we have the best education system in the world if we have the largest class sizes in Europe? I will not spend too long discussing the reduced schools building programme because those from rural Ireland did not have to wait until the budget to realise this. In County Mayo thousands of children attend classes in either prefabs or rooms with Third World conditions with no prospect of getting a new or refurbished school building even though they have been waiting for more than ten years.

However, it is some of the smaller cutbacks in courses, subjects and critical posts that so far have gone unnoticed. These will have serious implications for the delivery of a top-class education system. Grant payments for physics, chemistry, home economics, the leaving certificate vocational programme and transition year are all being abolished. At national level these cutbacks amount to €5.35 million. While it may seem a small amount in the big picture, it is a vital amount to each school and teacher working in these areas. In recent times there has been much ado about encouraging students to take science subjects at post-primary level with moneys being allocated for roadshows and so forth. The budget cutbacks will make it difficult to deliver on this.

Obesity is a problem with younger generations. We need children to eat the right foods and stay active. Yet the vehicle which could have delivered that knowledge to students, the home economics grant for equipment, has been withdrawn. When I was teaching, we were told the chalk-and-talk era was coming to an end and there needed to be more emphasis on practical teaching. A good and well-resourced home economics course would be more than just a subject; it would prepare students for a healthy lifestyle. These courses could easily be delivered with less money but instead full cutbacks have been introduced.

Leaving certificate applied and transition year programmes are provided to encourage students to complete school programmes. In the process they become more mature and experience the workplace. Is there any joined-up thinking in cutting these back? On the one hand, the Government promotes certain ideals but then puts obstacles in the way of the cheapest and most successful delivery of them.

Under the budget, teacher substitution arrangements are not allowed even for school business absences in post-primary schools. The real truth of this cutback is that in-service courses are now withdrawn. Another hidden cutback in the latest information we have received is that home-school liaison officer posts will go in schools which lost their DEIS status prior to the general election but were allowed to keep them when a furore was created at the time. Nine such schools will be affected in the Mayo constituency alone when these cuts are implemented. The officers provide not just an education but a social service. The officers can be the first to notice dysfunctional families, acting as a sort of early warning system in that respect.

The increase in the registration fees for students entering third level is the re-introduction of fees by the back door. Those parents forking out for these fees will already have been hit with the increased charges for transport, etc., at second level. The back to education grants were already restrictive in the case of young people who left school early to join the workforce in the now dead and gone Celtic tiger. Many of these young people are now unemployed with no prospect of a job. Many of them will have to wait six months before they can apply for the grant. On top of that, there are 500 fewer places available.

We all expected some pain in the budget but the least we could have expected was that it would be implemented with some equity. Under the travel tax proposal, €2 will levied on a journey less than 300 km and €10 for a journey over 300 km. A flight from Ireland West Airport Knock to Liverpool, Glasgow or Manchester will be taxed at €10 but a similar flight from Dublin Airport will be taxed only €2. Where is the equity in that? This is anti-competitive and anti-west.

This morning I was glad to hear the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, say on radio that any anomalies in the medical card provisions will be ironed out. I presume the same will apply to the travel tax.

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