Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

I put it to the Minister that his actions on the issue gravely endanger a number of Protestant fee-paying schools outside of the larger cities. He needs to rethink this position. The special services grant, which he is effectively abolishing for Protestant fee-paying schools, will put many such schools to the wall in the coming years.

Currently, we have 26 Protestant post-primary schools in this country — five comprehensive and 21 fee-paying schools in 13 of the 26 counties. If one wants a Protestant ethos-led education for one's child, one has to send that child to a boarding school because, in effect, we have so few such schools.

When will the Minister meet with Archbishop Neill, whom I understand has sought a meeting with him to discuss the situation? In the context of North-South relations and the plurality of educational expression that we cherish, I urge the Minister to rethink his position and not to act in the way proposed in his budget announcement?

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