Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

I welcome the Deputy's comments and am working co-operatively and constructively with my colleague and counterpart in Northern Ireland, who now has responsibility for the same set of responsibilities, including for higher education, as I have. However, Mr. O'Dowd is confronted with different problems. The schoolgoing population of Northern Ireland is declining. The Minister has stated that a sustainable schools policy for post-primary schools should involve a minimum school population of 500 pupils. The INTO forecasts that this would result in 70 schools closing in Northern Ireland and reckons that as many as 1,000 teachers will lose their jobs whereas in the South they would be redeployed. There are no redeployment panels in the North so if a teacher is no longer required in a school he or she loses that job and becomes redundant. In addition, according to the INTO, 3,000 classroom assistants will also lose their posts next year.

Mr. O'Dowd has also cancelled 52 new school building programmes and is, in effect, saving £500 million there. There will also be a reduction of some £100 in the capitation fund for every school child as and from 20 December 2012. As the Deputy knows, university fees in Northern Ireland are £3,375 as against €2,250 here. We are not necessarily comparing like with like. However, we are working together where we can do so. I was able to find savings, for example, within my Department to fund the national literacy and numeracy strategy as well as other projects we have done.

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