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

We are here tonight on a motion of confidence which is a very serious matter, as evidenced by the numbers in the Dáil. This is not simply a routine debate on a motion that will be passed or not passed. If the motion of confidence is passed, it is likely to be on the narrowest of margins. As Deputies McGuinness and Martin said, the Government must remember that. At every turn it must remember the confidence and supply agreement which it has entered into with us, but the Government's actions of the past week reveal a shambolic, careless and rudderless Administration. The actions of State agents and agencies are causing fear and revulsion, not just among people directly affected but among the citizenry generally. A tribunal of inquiry must be established as quickly as possible to get to the truth of the matter.

Ministers do not seem to realise that as well as being an honour and privilege, ministerial office is also a responsibility. I ask Ministers to look at the Constitution to see the nature of that responsibility. Their responsibility is to Dáil Éireann, not as individual Ministers but as a collective Government. They are not just responsible for each Department of State but for the Departments of State. They are all responsible for all Departments of State. They need to be reminded of that when they speak out in public, criticising a Minister, and in the way they interact with each other daily. It is the easiest thing to do to go back to the Constitution to find out how these things should be done. If the notion of collective responsibility for the Departments of State, as the Constitution states, were considered by Ministers, they might not be in the bother they are in at the moment.

The confidence and supply agreement is the bedrock on which this Administration stands. It is difficult to abstain, given what has gone on but, my leader has clearly outlined the circumstances which are involved. I seconded Deputy Martin for Taoiseach three times but we failed. All we wanted to do was put in place stable Government. There was a need for stable Government last May and there is an even greater need now. That is not just our responsibility. It is the responsibility of Government Deputies and all Deputies.

One of the key objectives of the confidence and supply agreement was the fairer allocation of resources towards education. Education is a key driver of economic opportunity and is a key priority of the confidence and supply agreement. We are very pleased that guidance counselling has been restored, on an ex quota basis, and a circular will be issued putting that into practice in the next week or so. It is also fair to say that despite this being agreed, it took some time to persuade the Minister, Deputy Bruton, to implement it. The reduction in the pupil-teacher ratio is also a requirement of the confidence and supply agreement and nothing has been said about that. More action is required on that. The Minister has had help because the Irish Journal of Educationhas published research recently on this issue. He should publish an action plan or at least a statement about what he sees as the ideal pupil-teacher ration for our schools and how he sees us achieving that.

We have set out our stall on third level funding and we expect the Minister continue on that course. We welcome the expansion of DEIS but I will be insisting there be a proper appeals process which does not simply look at where pupils live but at family circumstances. Issues of fairness, equality and special education must be dealt with and we have submitted amendments to the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill.

This is a difficult position and one we do not want to be in and the Government must continue to deliver on the policy priorities we specified.

See this speech in context