Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

I am not in a position to respond, except to deny that the Department of Education and Science is bureaucratic. It seems from the figures I have imparted to the Senator during this debate that the contrary is the case. The Department is well aware of the problems and is providing for them in a sustained way. However, it cannot throw up buildings and create schools without looking to the long-term interests of the area. As the Senator is aware, it appears that the secondary schools in three of the adjoining areas have falling attendance numbers. When one is dealing with institutions which are up and running, one must bear in mind that resources are limited and that we must cut our cloth in accordance with available resources.