Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)

I sat and listened to the Deputy and I had the good manners not to interrupt.

At the first opportunity, the Government has increased the pupil-teacher ratio to 28:1 and God knows what it will do over the next few years. This is a broken promise.

I had a discussion with the former Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, on Raidió na Gaeltachta yesterday morning. In 2002 she stated no child under nine years of age in the State would be in a class of more than 20 pupils. Lo and behold, at least 150,000 pupils under the age of nine years are in classes of not more than 30 pupils, rather than 20. This is the Government's record in education.

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