Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)

The Government will damage that chance and that foundation by what it is proposing here. All of those who vote for the budget proposals — including Deputy Paul Gogarty, who runs with the hare and chases with the hound, and my constituency colleague, Deputy Áine Brady, who is a very fine Deputy — will be damaging these children. Resigning from her teaching post in Celbridge, as Deputy Brady promised to do in the local newspaper, will have no effect at all on this issue. What Deputy Brady needs to do, if she wants to be effective, is vote against the cuts.

In the short time allowed, I wish to refer to teachers, who have been scapegoated in this debate by the Government. I wish to compliment teachers in Ireland on doing their jobs in extremely difficult circumstances. I also wish to debunk the notion that they are paid too much. The reason that 80% of the cost of education in Ireland is wages is that we do not provide the other facilities that the education system needs. Instead, we send parents out to beg in the street to provide such essential services and facilities.

Teachers fought hard for decent conditions for themselves, to which they are entitled. They have well-earned those improved conditions and they have my support. I am not at all supportive of the idea that they should be targeted to fund the mess the Government has made. The scapegoating of teachers' unions and teachers is something I will not support.

In my constituency, before these cuts were announced, 28% or 1,300 children were in classes of more than 30 pupils. In one school in particular, St. Brigid's in Celbridge, there are four classes of 34. That school will lose two teachers under the budgetary proposals. Deputy Áine Brady's school, Scoil na Mainistreach, Celbridge where she is still a teacher, will lose three teachers. She said if it lost any teachers she would resign her job as a teacher. I understood her job was in the House, but that is a matter for her. St. Patrick's national school is a permanent school on a temporary site in the corner of a GAA field, in which 85% of the pupils are newcomers. For this reason it has five language support teachers, but it will now lose three of them.

The Government has targeted the poorest people by removing the book grants for children who cannot afford to lose them. It has targeted Travellers who cannot afford these cuts and who need extra support and it has targeted the most vulnerable non-nationals in schools. Shame on the Government. It did not touch the fat cats in the budget. Our proposals are available if the Minister for Education and Science wishes to examine them. Shame on the Minister for this mean-spirited budget aimed at the poorest victims.

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