Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

The Minister for Education and Science unambiguously set out the Government's position on education spending here yesterday evening. The Taoiseach also told the House yesterday that the Government would continue to set out for the people the full realities of the economic and fiscal crisis that has to be managed and that it would continue to take strategic decisions to protect future prosperity, regardless of the implications for political popularity in opinion polls. In the limited time available to me, I want to reiterate the essential realities of the situation.

The 2009 budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect and while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure, education could not be totally spared. Like the Minister, I am concerned at the air of unreality about the debate——

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