Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I entered the Chamber during the speech being made by the Minister of State, Deputy Mary White, and feel bound to say that there reaches a stage where, if language has no meaning, debate is very difficult. The Minister of State's main claim for her time in Government and for the budget is how they protect education. If there is one thing this budget does not do, it is that it does not protect education. I am amazed that anybody on the Government side of the House could make such a claim. Some 1,200 teachers are to be taken out of the system, Youthreach is to be cut, fees are to be implemented for post leaving certificate students, fees are to be introduced for school transport and an unspecified number of psychologists are to be removed from the system. The Minister of State suggests that is protecting education.

I have had occasion to visit Senior College Ballyfermot a number of times, a college with many bright, enterprising, exciting, innovative young people. They are there because they have a thirst for education and because their parents could not afford to send them to orthodox third level education. What has been done now? We have imposed a fee on them. Therefore, I do not understand how the Minister of State can make the claim she did about her area.

See this speech in context