Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

At the outset, I acknowledge the unbelievable work our principals do in our schools, the teaching they provide and the way in which they manage their schools. Of course I want to see more funding invested in education. Every cent we spend on a young person is not only an investment in their future but also an investment in our future. We have increased the capitation over the last number of budgets but of course I am currently, as we all are, engaging with the Ministers, Deputies Chambers and Donohoe, to ensure I can secure as much money as possible. What I am also doing, and what I think is really important, is taking a look at exactly what the costs are for schools. Whether it is electricity, heating, insurance costs or hidden costs we are not aware of, I want to understand exactly what the costs are on a day-to-day, weekly and monthly basis in our schools and then see how we can support them but also how we can bring those costs down.

That will feed into a wider piece of work I am doing. When it comes to the budget I will advocate, as we all are, for as much money as possible.

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