Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Haughey. He has been in the House on a number of occasions in recent months.

I pay tribute to our spokesperson on education, Senator Ulick Burke, for tabling this motion on behalf of the Fine Gael group so we can debate the matter at least, for his consistency on all issues concerning education and for being such a strong advocate for children and the education system which we all have a responsibility to cherish and nurture.

It is great to return to primary school and see children start school. In my case, my eldest son, who is five years old, started school last September. We now have smaller classes than we had some years ago or even when I was in school. We have better buildings and many advances have been made by successive Governments in the past 15 to 20 years. That must be acknowledged on all sides.

The reality is we have not done enough to root out educational disadvantage which is the major impediment against which many children must work. My five year old son is in a class of 20. That is a fantastic start for any five year old. The problem is next year he will be in a class of 30. One invariably takes a greater interest in these matters when one's children are in that situation. Schools should not be forced to carve up resources such as pupil-teacher ratios as a means of trying to present an opportunity for one year to a child at that age.

I issue a warning to all political parties not to make ridiculous promises they cannot keep the other side of a general election. One of the problems with which the Minister for Education and Science is currently faced is one of her own making, namely, that she promised to deliver class sizes of 20 and under for children aged under nine. She now claims that is aspirational but originally it was a promise. The reason she looks foolish is she made a promise she could not keep. The advice for all political parties is not to follow what the Minister, Deputy Hanafin, and Fianna Fáil have done. We should be honest and realistic about what we want to achieve as a society. There is no point in making promises that are not achievable either in the short term or the medium term. We must keep this at the forefront of our minds as we approach the general election.

New communities are a significant issue in my area. In recent years, 2,000 or 3,000 new homes often have been built in areas in a short period. We find that virtually no planning has taken place between developers and the local authority or the Department of Education and Science to provide for the educational needs of children living in these areas. This is leading to an increase in commuting times and to traffic gridlock because, invariably, parents in these new estates have to bus their children out on a daily basis as a means of accessing educational opportunities.

I wish to make a proposal to the House and to the Government concerning the current social housing provisions whereby 15% or 20% of land must be used for social and affordable housing. It is entirely appropriate that those who have gained so much, either through land speculation or the building of houses in new suburban Ireland, would be asked to contribute funds towards the establishment of those new schools. In Adamstown in west Dublin, we have an example that should be replicated in other parts of the country. The primary school and the secondary school there are an integral part of the planning process. It is a condition of the masterplan that after 1,500 houses are built, the school is built by the developer. That is the way to go.