Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

For all that, schools are generally underfunded. This specific school is underfunded to the tune of €125,000, which is needed for heating, cleaning and insurance costs. The CRC has provided a backstop for the shortfall in money coming from the Department of Education. The Minister can tell the House if this has changed but the information I have been given is that Department is flatly refusing to make up this shortfall or to allocate any additional money. If there is now engagement between the Department and the school, that is very welcome news but the Minister might clarify when that happened. The Central Remedial Clinic is in receipt of €24 million of public money, and rightly so. It is astonishing that it would unilaterally decide to take €125,000 from this school. It is not an enormous sum of money in the bigger scheme of things but it is a fortune to this school. In its absence, the school faces real difficulty. If this is let go ahead, there is a possibility that the school may not be able to function.

It is as real as that. The pressure point comes in the first quarter of next year so there needs to be immediate action. This €125,000 needs to be found.

See this speech in context