Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

The words of Mandy Rice-Davies come to mind. She famously said "Well, he would, wouldn't he?" The same applies to the Minister and his Department. We have been through this previously. Angry words have been expressed on all sides of this House. I am only concerned with one thing, namely, sorting out this issue and resolving it.

I wish to make a proposal to the Minister for his consideration. Whatever about his position on the auxiliary grants that, in effect, he took from the 21 Protestant fee-paying schools in last year's budget, would he consider an increase in the block grant, which as the Minister is aware, is administered by the SEC, which, in effect, is ring-fenced to poorer Protestant children who attend those schools? As I noted recently in a reply the Minister made to a question of mine, that would not present any constitutional difficulty. In lieu of the reductions the Minister has made to a range of grants to those schools in last year's budget, would he consider an increase to the block grant in the context of the Estimates?

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