Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I, too, want to express my abhorrence at the letter sent on behalf of the Department of Education and Science warning claimants to drop cases against the State on abuse in schools or face significant bills. Apart from the insensitivity of that letter, given that the O'Keeffe case has been appealed to the Supreme Court, it is premature for the Department to make that kind of statement in letters to claimants.

The idea that the State is not responsible for what happens in schools and for the education system is incredible, as other Senators have stated, given that the Department pays the teachers' salaries, funds buildings for schools and pays students' capitation fees. The Department and the Minister take credit for anything good that happens in schools. If a board of management gets a school extension, the Minister is present to open it and take the credit. The Minister also takes credit for matters such as good school results, yet if anything bad happens in schools, the Department is not willing to take any of the responsibility. I find that incredible and unsustainable. I cannot believe that could be true. As others have stated, it makes a mockery of the Taoiseach's apology for abuse in State institutions.

I noted a headline in today's Irish Examiner about Fianna Fáil concern over private hospital plans. The article referred to Deputy McGuinness who has expressed concerns about proposals to collocate private hospitals on public lands. I note the Minister, Deputy Harney, has stated that contracts for the construction of the private hospitals will be signed within the coming weeks. Fianna Fáil forms the overwhelming majority in the Government and if contracts are signed within the next weeks for private hospitals to be built on public lands, that is the responsibility of Fianna Fáil because it forms the majority of this Government. Its members cannot speak out of both sides of their mouth. They will be largely responsible for any contracts signed on the collocation of hospitals in the next few weeks.