Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)

The letter continues:

We responded to one vulnerable part of our society over the medical cards issue. We responded in relation to the income levy for those on the minimum wage. Now we must respond, proactively, on a number of areas, if not to increase funding, but at least to try and maintain the status quo.

Class sizes is the single biggest issue. Various figures have been bandied about ranging from the 400 overall cuts you have suggested, to a figure of over a thousand at each level by the teaching unions.

I think at a minimum in these times of dwindling state revenues, we must ensure that the pupil teacher ratio is not reversed. It should be further increased but in the worst case scenario, it must remain at current levels at both primary and second level.

Taking an average figure for retaining the ratio which ignores the higher wages of retiring teachers, I estimate that the total cost of keeping the class size average of 27 per class at primary and 18 per class at post primary is in the region of €151 million.

Another area that has been cut back is in the area of school books. This to me is an essential part of a child's development and in this context the €7.5 million cost for school book aid and the €2.19 million in library grants has to be reversed. The figures are so small relatively, but the impact goes way beyond that.

I am surprised Minister and disappointed that the €97,000 for the Centre for Talented Youth has been cut. By all means carry out a cost benefit analysis, but to curtail a service that enhances and encourages our best and brightest who could have a major role to play in our future development does not make sense, particularly for such a paltry sum.

Speaking of Youth, our Youth Services were bracing themselves for no real increase in their budget, but little did they imagine that their budgets would be cut. This €4.4 million cutback will have a devastating effect on frontline provision which will well outweigh the saving. Again it needs to be reinstated.

Similarly the €8.5 million grabbed out of the Back to Education initiative is a regressive step when this facility will be needed by more and more people. Under the current proposal 500 people will be affected, 500 who could be major net tax contributors in a few years time.

The Education Welfare Board should at least have had its current funding retained, for the sake of €120,000. If anything this should be increased of course, given its important role.

Then there are the amalgamated grants to post-primary schools, including those for choirs and orchestras, home economics, physics and chemistry, the junior certificate schools programme, leaving certificate applied, LCVP and transition year. These combined will save the state €5.35 million but will actually probably cost the state more in the long run.

See this speech in context