Dáil debates

Tuesday, 15 June 2010

Confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government: Motion

 

5:00 am

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

When it came to spending on school buildings, expenditure increased from €600 million to €700 million to €800 million. The situation has been transformed all over the country. There is not one child, parent or teacher in any school who will say that because of the manner in which expenditure overran, their school should not have been built. Every one of those projects were valuable. I accept this work was necessary owing to under-investment in this area for a number of years. However, the fruits of that investment are now to be seen throughout the country. Only last week I opened a new autism unit. There are now 395 such units in the country where only six years ago there was none.

The same is true for children with special needs. For the first time every school has access to resource teachers to assist those children. Previously, this was not the case. That is not a waste of expenditure but the targeting of good money to people who needed their potential recognised and to be supported. From an economic perspective, expenditure on our higher education system during the past number of years - again I say this having spent four years in that portfolio - and the creation of extra places and improvements in infrastructure has ensured we have an economic resource that will attract and create jobs when the global upturn comes, as inevitably it will.

We can show that in terms of education, the arts, tourism and sport facilities we are substantially better off than we were in 2002. Some €730 million has been spent on sports facilities. We all value and appreciate how important sports can be to our communities. Deputy Flanagan spoke about quality of life. Our education and sports facilities are part of our quality of life. We have made that investment. The same is true of our arts in terms of the number of new theatres and art centres there are now around the country. There has been much investment in our cultural institutions and we are currently investing in the tourist industry.

This Government has made mistakes. We acknowledge that and apologise for any wrong that may have been done.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.