Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, to the House. The Government must have anticipated the Labour Party would be holding its party this evening given he has been left to respond to the two remaining topical issue debates. Members of Fine Gael expected to be celebrating this morning. However, thanks to the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, that party did not get under way nor should it have.

I support my colleagues on this issue. I am aware that Senator Landy, who is a good colleague of the Minister, will also be making representations on this matter to the Minister for Education and Skills. The withdrawal of eight teaching posts, or one-third of the teaching population, from this school is unsustainable. It is akin to the 66% cut in training and material funding for CE schemes. This is what we are getting from a Minister and party which sent out letters prior to the election, through SIPTU and others, urging CE participants and so on to vote for the Labour Party.

These cuts are unsustainable. The school might have survived the withdrawal of one or two posts but not eight. Carrick-on-Suir has been on its knees for decades. I do not wish to talk down the town wherein I know there are many good and enterprising people. It is a RAPID town which, as Deputy Healy stated, is experiencing massive unemployment, with more than 2,000 people unemployed which figure is as high or, perhaps, higher than in Clonmel which is several times the size of Carrick-on-Suir. While the people of Carrick-on-Suir are resourceful the school cannot sustain this type of attack.

While the school is not a DEIS school it was granted four extra posts under the giving the children an even break scheme. This cut is unacceptable to the school, board of management, parents council and Presentation Sisters. We will not accept it.

I was previously a board member of Carrick-on-Suir VEC. As stated, the town is currently experiencing massive unemployment, leaving families in great disadvantage. While the primary school failed in its application for DEIS status, the VEC school under the principalship of Mr. Pat Callanan, has been granted DEIS status. I pay tribute to Mr. Callanan who recently retired. Approximately 80% of boys from the primary school feed into that college. It makes no sense that the primary school has been refused DEIS status.

I know that the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, played a huge role in having cuts to DEIS schools in his area reversed. The Minister was quite vocal on this issue. I call on the Minister for Education and Skills to listen to the pleas of the people on Carrick-on-Suir, Deputies in this House and Senator Denis Landy. We cannot accept a one third cut in teaching posts at this school, which is, by any benchmark, totally unfair. The school cannot do without a working principal who is, owing to disciplinary issues, a huge resource to the school. His assistance in the classroom is vital. If his post is withdrawn the remaining teachers will be left in an awful situation, which is not good enough.

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