Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

In general, the percentage of schools built through PPPs is very low but we can get the Deputy the specific information for Wexford. These are generally done in bundles and the projects are put out to tender. It is a tendering process like any other, so the information is available.

We managed to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio in the most recent budget. We have very large classes and that is something I wanted to address but we did not have the money to do it up to this year. We have reduced the pupil-teacher ratio in primary schools by one point and we have also reduced it in post-primary schools by a percentage of a point. I have indicated that part of this process should be used to improve the offering of guidance in post-primary schools and to address some of the middle management issues identified by schools. Schools would have lost some people below the principal level who take responsibility in schools, and the indication is there is a real problem in that respect. We will use some of the funding to address that issue. We all want to see class sizes reduced as soon as the finance permits. We have brought it to a point in primary schools this year.

See this speech in context