Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

The Minister made a good point. As someone involved for the best part of 20 years in one form or another in helping to draft programmes for Government, I can say that they naturally cover only a certain amount of what the Government will do, and other priorities will come forward. Unfortunately, Governments do not tend to get credit for all the things they have done which they did not promise to do. They get criticised for things which are perhaps less a priority.

I pay tribute to the Minister for what she has done in reducing the general class size, in terms of the pupil-teacher ratio, and providing additional resource teachers and special teachers of various kinds. I am very impressed by the figure of 800 posts towards helping non-nationals with languages.

However, I must say that the class size problem raised with me at a local Tipperary level is very different than that being discussed in this debate. I have attended union meetings across that county in which the drum has been banged on pupil-teacher ratios but the class size problem with which I am continually confronted is that of physical space. This is particularly the case when people lack space for resource teachers in schools built 50 or 60 years ago. That configuration is no longer necessary and is bursting at the seams. New schools and extensions cope with that type of class size problem but we must recognise that there is more than one dimension to the problem. The building programme is extremely worthwhile. If I have any criticisms, it is that the Minister for Finance should invest more money in the area. When new schools are opened, it highlights the contrast with poorer facilities elsewhere.

I cannot let this motion escape without paying tribute to the immense contribution of Senator O'Toole as the president of the INTO. Was he its president or general secretary?