Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

With all due respect, the Deputy's party called for multiple different variations of €150 million. We have to work within a budget and we have to make sure we prioritise where the need is most. I fully accept the need is here in education and that we need to provide more, but there is no school that will be let go to the wall because funding is not being provided. I cannot be any clearer than that. I also commend our principals, teachers and all the staff who work so hard day in, day out. I appeal to any school, if it is in financial difficulty, to please reach out, engage at an early stage and make sure it is engaging with the Department. There is not a single school in this country, and there are 3,000 primary schools and 700 post-primary schools, that will not be supported and assisted, be it in providing finance ahead of schedule or providing other types of assistance. That is not to say I do not want to do more-----

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