Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)

I am grateful for the opportunity to take part in this debate. I and every other Deputy in the House feel strongly about this issue. What is the most important thing we can give our children? It is an education and start in life.

It is absolutely disgraceful to hear some of the commentary from Deputies berating other Deputies who have an elected mandate to come in here and represent the views and worries of people and children. We in Fianna Fáil have a mandate, as do Independent Deputies and those in government. Deputies have asked how we dare to table a motion.

The aim of the motion is to protect one, two, three and four teacher schools. The Government does not understand that. If four teacher schools lose one teacher it is a 25% cut in teaching capacity, not just insignificant budgetary arithmetic. If the Government says that will not lead to the closure of schools, it is very misguided. It should return to local communities to hear the truth. All the people in the Visitors Gallery are saying the same thing, as are all the people outside. The Government has its mandate and we have ours, but we have a common goal, that is, to represent the people who elected us. Members opposite should not challenge anybody's mandate in the name of protecting their party position because they are now in a position of responsibility and must make choices to establish priorities. They are simply not prioritising small schools.

Let us return to the rhetoric of budget day. Members opposite were all on message on that day stating there were no cuts to allowances or welfare rates. If they ask the people in the disability sector, the unemployed, those on CE schemes or those in rural areas whether they are being attacked, they will be told they are.

The Government told people before the election that front-line services would not be cut. A consultant in Limerick, a chairman of the Labour Party in the city, stated the cuts to front-line health services are putting people's lives at risk. Despite this, the Taoiseach completely rubbished this in the House for two weeks in a row. What does that say about democracy? What does it say about the Government's followers? Members opposite should not be challenging us in the House in this regard.

Has the Government produced an impact analysis of the cuts? It has not. When it suits it, it will fall back on an impact analysis. The Members opposite sat in opposition for years requesting that the capital allowance schemes for hotels and apartment blocks be cut. When they got into government, they relied on an impact analysis, although it was not to reverse the capital allowances in that they looked after their own builder buddies when it suited them. They should not tell us it is all about protecting rural areas.

When the Government Members talk about closing small schools, which is their agenda, they should at least be honest and up-front with people. They are not at present. They are trying to close small schools by stealth.

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