Martin Ferris (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We will talk to the Corkman on Saturday night. There is much talk about the rainy day fund. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are on the same page but we have a different view. Our view is that because of the terrible recession and the mismanagement of the country by successive Governments, there is a need to look after those most in need.

We are told we have an education system that is free but the reality is that the cost of educating children is increasing year on year. That is due in the main to the fact that currently the capitation grants awarded to schools do not even cover the day-to-day running costs. Primary schools have seen cuts of nearly €110 million and each year hard-pressed parents are forking out more than €46 million just to keep their local schools ticking over. That is some indictment of the State.

This is taxation by stealth and it is no longer sustainable. These children are expected to meet our future demands in an ever-changing workforce. We can no longer encumber their parents with such fundraising demands where, according to a recent Grant Thornton report, the capitation grant now covers an average of only 52% of the running cost of a school. We are also spending less per primary pupil than the EU or OECD average. I demand that the Government must tackle this area in the forthcoming budget. The capitation grant should be restored to the pre-2011 figure of €200 and that should be the beginning of a phased programme of increases to match the actual running costs of schools.

Grants for special classes should be increased pro rata. Currently, on average, primary schools are being asked to run their schools with 92 cent for each pupil per day. The minor works grant, which is vitally important, should be paid every year as a non-discretionary payment. Principals and boards of management should not be spending their valuable time implementing new fundraising ideas just to run their schools. Parents have no problem fundraising for extracurricular activities but should not be expected to fork out hundreds of euro each year just to keep the school solvent.

Many parents are embarrassed on being presented with donation envelopes on a monthly basis that they cannot afford. All children should be treated equally and must have the same opportunity to have a proper, free education. I do not think there is a rural school or parish in this country that is not fundraising several times a year or, in some cases, on a monthly basis in order to keep the school running. It is an awful indictment of this Government, supported by Fianna Fáil, that it has allowed this to happen. The rainy day fund should be used to benefit our young people, our elderly and those most in need and it is up to the Government to that.

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