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

On page 27 of the Spring Economic Statement, the Government claims to have set out its vision in Food Harvest 2020, but the Minister of State should, like the Minister, Deputy Coveney, did when he started, remember and acknowledge that this strategy was prepared and published by Deputy Smith in July 2010. It provides the blueprint for all developments in the food and agriculture sector, which is the largest home-grown industry that Ireland has, and should be fully implemented.

By all measures, education is central to our economic and social future. According to Fine Gael and Labour, the most we can expect is to have demographic pressures catered for. This is the new wheeze and spin. For example, we are employing new teachers. When the population and pupil numbers increased, the pupil-teacher ratio stayed the same. This automatically meant additional teachers. That is all we are getting in the spring statement.

There is no commitment to reversing any education cuts, even those which continue to cause huge damage to schemes helping disadvantaged children and children with special needs.

As I have said, throughout the speeches and documents issued yesterday there is a core dishonesty in the figures used to spin the Government's record.  The base years used to show improvement constantly change to suit the issue at hand and a range of specific policies are pointed to as coalition achievements when they have nothing whatsoever to do with its work. It is in the area of education that this is at its most brazen and dishonest.  The statement claims the Government has delivered "improved outcomes in higher level mathematics, literacy for 15 year olds and an increase in the number of PhDs graduating from our universities". In respect of literacy and maths improvements, it is an uncontested fact that there was no change whatsoever from the policies implemented by the previous Government.  Every single one of the PhD students referred to began their study before February 2011. If that is the best the Government can do when trying to claim success in education, it shows how bad the reality is.

This is the Government which ended all dedicated guidance and counselling support for schools. That was a shocking decision. We are always talking in this House about mental health and the needs of young people. The provision of career and guidance counselling in second level schools was a service that was actually effective. Students could approach their school counsellor ostensibly to discuss career issues but also could raise personal issues and other matters in respect of which they required counselling. Despite all its rhetoric about mental health and looking after young people, the Government took away that resource.

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