Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I concur with the Minister that his party was missing from 1997 onwards. He is keen to portray everything that took place after 1997 as the fault of previous Governments but in doing so he ignores that his party advocated the same policies as those pursued by previous Governments. As a former Minister for Finance, he encouraged previous Governments to spend more, and during the most recent general election campaign, he promised there would be no cuts in education. Now that the impact of his decisions is being felt, especially in primary schools, he seeks to divert attention from his broken promises.

I ask him to stick to the undertakings he made during the election campaign. He must stop imposing cuts in education and asking families who cannot afford it to bear the costs of educating their children. Families are suffering as a result of the Minister's decision to cut by half the back-to-education allowance and reduce every other grant available to schools. They are now being asked to ensure schools can continue to operate. It is the Minister's responsibility to address this issue. He must stand up to the mark and keep the promises he made. I ask him to reinstate the minor works grant to avoid schools becoming further indebted before the end of the year.

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