Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Is the Minister aware that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul has commissioned Grant Thornton to conduct a survey to identify the current gaps in funding for all categories of post-primary schools? Last August, the organisation received 30 calls per hour from desperate parents. Fast forward to this year and schools and those in charge of their administration are finding it increasingly difficult to plug the gap in simply running a school. Whatever little reserves they had are being whittled down to nothing. The pressure is passed on to parents who, between the vastly increased cost of light and heat and putting food on the table and a roof over their heads, are under unprecedented financial pressure. Providing the very basics is increasingly a juggling act for many families between the cost of uniforms, shoes, tracksuits and runners. The cost of ring binders has increased 120% in recent years. Let us imagine the mental arithmetic that needs to come into play for parents trying to get one, two and possibly three children back to school in September. Does the Minister agree with the abolishment of voluntary contributions or does she support them?

See this speech in context