Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I do not agree with the Senator. We are all in favour of all those wonderful sports. The Senator has tabled a motion on the IRFU.

Senator Browne referred to a school in Mountmellick, which is building two classrooms rather than erecting prefabs. Between 1987 and 1990, the then Government sanctioned work of that kind at 300 schools. It was a policy which some Members will remember. I travelled around the country to open them. There is nothing new in this in terms of the approach to education. It is the same policy as was pursued by the then Government. The then Taoiseach, Charles Haughey, fully endorsed it. The first deputation that came to me said that its school required an extension which would cost £500,000. I said I did not have that amount of money, but I could offer £100,000 to build four classrooms. The offer was refused, so I then offered it to the next group upon which the first group came back to me. It was an approach that was increasingly taken up and it made a great impact. It would be a good idea to have it explained because it is a worthwhile policy.