Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I am sure he will understand when I say that sympathy is not enough. It is easy to say that one is well aware of the problem but that everything has to be considered within the context of overall cuts in public expenditure.

These private schools, including those of a non-Protestant or minority ethos, which have a special case to make, are fed up with the increases in the pupil-teacher ratio and are seeking an assurance that their choices will not be subject to any further attacks. At this stage they have had enough, and they contest vigorously the assertion that somehow there is an awful lot of money in their kitties. The Minister of State referred in his reply to the availability of €81 million in discretionary funding. There is no question of this money being available on a discretionary basis because no such basis exists in the context of hard-pressed education, where the money is being spent on necessities for pupils that would otherwise be provided by the State. It may be that that money is being earmarked for capital projects, but that is a compelling reason for its being available. That schools have a hoard of cash that they can use for any purpose is not true.

I do not believe the Minister of State has given me the assurance that the minority community is seeking. As recently as last month, the parents' spokeswoman for Protestant schools, Ms Eleanor Petrie, said:

Some of our schools are on a knife edge now. If the pupil teacher ratio goes up one more point more of them will go into the free scheme and that will end up costing the Department more money.

It will also probably lead to the dilution of an ethos which they value very dearly.

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