Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The content of the Cassells report will not be discussed in this Chamber but, rather, in the committee rooms. That process will take some time. I compliment Mr. Cassells and his committee on the work they did. When he spoke to the Fianna Fáil Party he advised us to take our time with this and he was right. We cannot, however, take our time in recognising the immediate funding crisis. I urge the Minister to do everything that can be done in the budget to change that direction. We know that the problems will not be solved overnight but we need to signal that Government no longer works only in the short term to get votes but plans for the future. The Minister and I have had our education. If we invest money in third-level education, there will be no personal benefit for many people but it will have benefits in the future and for the children growing up now and for the country. It will also send a signal that we are going to do things properly by looking to the future and that we are not interested in short-term political gain but, rather, in the medium and long-term gain to which the Minister refers.

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