Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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A total of 561 children are enrolled in Scoil Mhuire na mBráithre CBS, Clounalour, Tralee, County Kerry, approximately 40% of whom may be categorised as international children or new Irish. They have either been born in another country or their parents have come to this country as economic migrants or asylum seekers. Many of the children have benefited from language support. It provides them with easier access to all subjects and improves their competency in the English language. It gives them greater confidence and improved language communications skills in the school and the community and it makes it easier for teachers to communicate with them to pass on knowledge. In many cases it helps their parents to improve their English language skills and some children even become the spokesperson for their family.

The Department of Education and Science guidelines allow for six language support teachers when a school has 121 children with language needs. However, currently 163 children are in receipt of language support in the school. The majority of them started school with little or no English. This still only gives the school an allocation of six language support teachers who are currently employed on a temporary basis. This pupil-language support teacher ratio is, therefore, approximately 27:1. However, when the proposed cuts are applied to the school, this will lead to an increase in the pupil-language support teacher ratio to 81:1 and a loss of four teachers. I am sure the Minister of State will agree the loss of four teachers who provide this vital support to the new Irish will have a major effect on the school. It is impossible to understand how such a ratio would enable these children to acquire the necessary language skills to access the school curriculum and to keep pace with their Irish counterparts.

The most vulnerable children in the school will also be forced to suffer. As a non-DEIS school, grants to help children from less well-off families with the purchase of uniforms, track suits, school books, school trips and other school activities will be abolished. All equipment and resource grants for teachers who work with children with learning difficulties will be abolished. Funding to the school will significantly reduce, with cuts of €3,000 in the Traveller grant, €4,000 in resource teacher grants, €10,000 in the free book grant and €17,000 in the disadvantage, non-DEIS, grant.

Historically, the school has opened its doors to children from all socio-economic sectors of the community and, as a consequence, it has large numbers of children from the international community along with children from disadvantaged backgrounds and children from the Traveller community. For a long time, Tralee has been highlighted as an economic blackspot with a large number of families experiencing socio-economic disadvantage.

Furthermore, there may be a perception that many international families have started to return to their country of origin. However, the experience of the school is that its enrolment figures of international children have increased steadily in recent years and have done so again this year, hence the figure of 163 children this September. The enrolment figures for September 2009 indicate that the numbers will continue to grow next year. The school's experience over the years is that many of the international children are enrolled later in the year and many more are enrolled during the summer months.

As a result of the cuts introduced in the budget, the most vulnerable children in the school, including the new Irish, will suffer as the grants which help with these children's needs have been abolished. These cuts cannot be justified and this is indicated by the number of marches throughout the country. I have never seen teachers protest as much. Last weekend, a major march took place through the Minister of State's home city of Dublin. These cuts will cause the maximum damage to the children's education and will generate minimum savings for the Exchequer. Surely preferential and sympathetic consideration should be given to schools such as Scoil Mhuire na mBráithre CBS which has a large enrolment of international students, Traveller families and students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter on the Adjournment. The priority this Government attaches to providing for quality education, as did previous Fianna Fáil led Governments, is evident in the budget allocations to the Department since 1997. This year alone, the Government allocated more than €9.3 billion to education. This continued prioritisation of education over the past 11 years has reversed the historic under-investment in areas such as school facilities, services for children with special needs and those in disadvantaged areas.

The 2009 budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect education, while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure, could not be totally spared. The various impacts at school level were included in the budget day announcements. Even with the budget measures in place there will still be a significantly increased borrowing requirement in 2009.

When the country was able to afford it the Government reduced the basis on which primary teachers are allocated to schools from being based on an average number of pupils per teacher from 35 pupils down to the current level of 27 pupils. The change to a new average of 28 pupils per teacher has to be viewed in this context. Significant additional supports have been provided particularly in the area of special education.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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On a point of order, not once is this school mentioned in the Minister of State's reply. I do not blame the Minister of State——

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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That is not a point of order.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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——but there is not one mention in the reply.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Minister of State to continue.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I have not finished my reply yet.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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I hope the Minister of State mentions it because it is not mentioned in what I received.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State has a limited time to reply and Deputy Deenihan is eroding it.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I could not anticipate what the Deputy would say. I know he made a case with regard to language support teachers.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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It was obvious from the question I asked.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Deputy allow the Minister of State to continue?

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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This school is in the same position as many other schools throughout the country arising from the budget. The reply this evening tends to deal with the general issues.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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It shows how futile this exercise is.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy, please.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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I have no problem with the Minister of State——

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate that——

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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——but this reply is ridiculous.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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We are losing time rapidly.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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I believe that sincerely.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Minister of State continue?

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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It is 10.30 p.m.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Deenihan, please.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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I am wasting my time being here this evening for this type of reply. I mean this sincerely. It is an insult to the school.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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There are other mechanisms by which the Deputy can pursue this.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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This is the moment.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Government also reduced class sizes for the most disadvantaged in DEIS schools to an average of one teacher for every 20 pupils in junior classes and an average of one teacher for every 24 pupils in senior classes and these will not change in 2009. When one adds up all the teachers in the system there is one teacher for every 16 pupils in primary schools.

It will be necessary in the more testing economic climate ahead for us to continue to target and prioritise our resources to maximum effect for everyone. While teacher numbers are important numerous influential reports have highlighted the fact that teacher quality is the single most important factor, far and above anything else, in improving educational outcomes for children. Ensuring high-quality teaching and learning is a challenge and dealing with factors that inhibit it represents a challenge for the Government, the Department, school management and the teacher unions.

The Department of Education and Science will advise individual schools in the normal way on their staffing and grant allocations. The preparatory work for this has commenced with the processing of enrolment data that has been received from schools. The staffing allocation processes, including notification to schools, will commence early in the new year and Scoil Mhuire na mBráithre CBS primary school will also receive its notification in due course. The allocation process includes appellate mechanisms under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them under the staffing schedules.

In addition to the mainstream classroom teachers the Department also allocates teaching resources to schools for special needs and language support. The final allocation to a school is also a function of the operation of the redeployment panels which provide for the retention of a teacher in an existing school if a new post is not available within the agreed terms of the scheme.

The Government is committed to continuing to invest in education but we have to invest at a level that is consistent with what we can afford and what is sustainable given the economic circumstances. It is important that we explain the general background to the budget and how it affects this school and all other schools throughout the country. Therefore, stabilising the public finances is an essential first step in securing employment, future economic prosperity and ultimately the capacity to maintain public services, including education. By taking the necessary measures now, we will be well positioned to enable our country to take full advantage when the economic situation improves.

I have taken on board what the Deputy stated and if the school has a particular case with regard to language support I have no doubt it will be put to the Department in due course. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter.