Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this motion. As it is so long and detailed, it would be difficult not to find elements with which anyone agreed. The fundamental point in this Sinn Féin motion, that 6% of GDP should be allocated specifically to education, is welcome, as it is often the international practice. The commitment to decreasing the pupil-teacher ratio is one that all Deputies should support.

No one wishes to see overcrowded classrooms. No one envies the Minister the position in which he finds himself, a position in which education is so often found, that being, the whipping boy for cuts. However, I wish to make a plea regarding the withdrawal of the grant to fee-paying schools. It is convenient for those who advocate no cuts to claim that this is an area in which an improvement can be made. The Minister has heard me comment on this matter previously. It would save money if he encouraged fee-paying schools. Kilkenny College and other such institutions are withdrawing from the fee-paying sector into the free sector. If people wish to pay fees, let them do so. It is a decision that, as the Minister knows, is made by many who have minority beliefs and find that this is the only possible way to put their children into minority schools. Will the Minister consider reversing the cuts as a means of saving money for the State and providing minorities a way of education their children as they wish?

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