Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

Everybody is delighted there has been some reversal of the cuts to DEIS schools. It seems it is a victory for people power. I wonder whether the Minister would agree that it is as a result of people protesting, and proving the efficacy of protesting, that there has been a reversal of these cuts which were targeted at the most vulnerable and disadvantaged schools.

While that is a victory and an improvement, is it really acceptable that the cost will still be borne by the education system and school children's quality of education in general, particularly given that the schools that would suffer disproportionately from the reduction in the capitation grant funding will be precisely the disadvantaged schools, and they will be hit in another way?

Of course, if one lives in a better-off area, if there are more well-off families who can afford bigger voluntary contributions, which they should not have to make in the first place as we should have a properly funded education system, at least there may be a little bit more of a buffer to make up the reductions in the grants.

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