Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State will appreciate that this is extremely serious. This is the third time I have raised this. I raised it with Deputy Gannon the other night in oral questions and with the Taoiseach yesterday. We would not be raising this if it were not for the deluge of schools making contact with us. They are horrified about what these changes will mean for them. They cannot get their heads around why complex needs have now been taken out as a criterion. In presenting this as a positive adjustment, the Minister of State said that 67% of schools will have enhanced hours or will remain the same. That means that 33% of schools will lose out. She says it will be no more than five hours, but for those schools that is a very detrimental change.

The Minister of State has spoken about the wide-scale consultation she undertook and Department officials are saying the same, but the INTO has said this is fundamentally flawed. Other lobby groups in this area are saying the same. There does not seem to be anyone who agrees with the Minister of State on this change. On that basis, I agree with other speakers that she must review this, put a stop to it and start again.

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