Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

That type of activity was duplicated so many times around the country, and we were all victims of that deception. We do not want the Minister of State simply telling us and the parents that she has a list of 400 schools on a website. We want the Minister of State to be full and frank with the boards of management of schools and to give them some guidelines as to when work will start. Nothing else will satisfy people and it is the least the Government can do in the immediate future.

I also urge at least that the funding of €147 million be increased to something like €250 million so that work on the core disaster areas of about 40 national schools will be allowed to go to tender straight away. The schools have been identified, but the sad reality is that students are still attending them.

The Minister of State clearly laid blame tonight on the boards of management for their inactivity. She told them to familiarise themselves with the new manual she has produced dealing with the patch and mend work that will take place in schools and how best to utilise the funding, which is no more than crumbs falling from the table. There is a new manual, but the Leader of the House is unaware of it. The guidelines are to be brought to every board of management, each of which will be free to discuss how it can patch and mend its school. This reminds me of the crisis some years ago when new machines were provided to patch and tar the roads. Now there will be a parallel machine to patch and mend schools. If our response to the need to give children an even break is that they must continue to receive their education in these schools, the Government will stand indicted.

Amendment put.

The Seanad divided: Tá, 30; Níl, 19.

Tá

Bohan, Eddie.

Brady, Cyprian.

Brennan, Michael.

Callanan, Peter.

Cox, Margaret.

Daly, Brendan.

Dardis, John.

Dooley, Timmy.

Feeney, Geraldine.

Fitzgerald, Liam.

Glynn, Camillus.

Hanafin, John.

Kenneally, Brendan.

Kett, Tony.

Kitt, Michael P.

Leyden, Terry.

Lydon, Don.

MacSharry, Marc.

Mansergh, Martin.

Minihan, John.

Mooney, Paschal C.

Moylan, Pat.

O'Brien, Francis.

O'Rourke, Mary.

Ó Murchú, Labhrás.

Ormonde, Ann.

Scanlon, Eamon.

Walsh, Jim.

Walsh, Kate.

Wilson, Diarmuid.