Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I fully recognise the importance of the integrated model of education to which the Deputy referred, and I do not accept the assertion that this model is under threat. The Government's focus in recent years has been on operating a budgetary programme that is designed to restore our finances to a sustainable basis. Although education has been better sheltered than other sectors, it cannot be completely exempt from the budgetary programme. The Government's approach has helped Ireland to return to a position in which we are seeing some economic growth. A continuing improvement in our economic growth will enable us to move to a point at which we can again consider providing for additional teacher resources in schools, which could bring about an improvement in pupil-teacher ratio, class size and support for classroom teachers.

The main priority for any additional resources for the foreseeable future will be to cater for the continuing increase in demographics at all levels in the education system. By 2017 we will have approximately 75,000 more young people in our system. We are also working hard to continue to preserve the integrated model of education, which we value very much and which has been at the heart of Irish education for a number of years.

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