Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

One of the areas that has escaped any significant attention in the fallout from the budget has been the very savage and targeted approach to colleges of further education in terms of an attack on their pupil-teacher ratio and in the reduction of a variety of allowances to students. The two-point increase in the pupil-teacher ratio for these colleges will have a savage impact on the colleges and their students, leading to the loss of 200 whole-time equivalent posts. In reality on the ground up to 50 teachers could lose their positions, many of them part-time, in colleges doing specialist courses in cloud computing, horticulture, sound, music, dance and others areas across the board. They are all courses related to progressing young people from unemployment to employment.

If the Taoiseach cared to listen he would know that with a very high unemployment level among young people of 30%, this cut makes absolutely no sense. It targets second-chance education and those who want to go back to education to get a chance of work or to progress to third level. It is shameful that in addition to the pupil-teacher ratio increase, the budget will also reduce capitation rates for the colleges and will reduce allowances for people on vocational training opportunity schemes and Youthreach programmes. These are the very programmes that were designed to help young people come through the educational sector through alternative programmes and pathways. The Government has also abolished the cost of education allowance.

I know the Fine Gael Party will always protect the wealthy. However, fundamentally what is the purpose of the Labour Party in government-----

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