Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

The survey by the Irish Primary Principals' Network displays a clear shortage of money for the day-to-day running of our schools and this is very disturbing. The 455,000 pupils in our primary schools are being subsidised by their parents to the tune of one euro a day and this cannot be easy in all circumstances. The schools and the parents' associations are running cake sales and a myriad of functions to try to subsidise the schools. I ask the Leader to put this to the Minister and also in debate form. The funding of our primary schools should be an absolute priority and that kind of fund-raising activity should not be necessary.

The mushrooming population in the commuter belt towns of our big cities is not being served because the schools building programme is inadequate. While recent moves have been made recently to link up the granting of planning permission to developers with the building and improvement of schools, not enough is being done. There is no doubt that the school building programme should be transparent and should follow sequentially year by year.

It is very disturbing that the summer works programme would be removed from the schools building programme. The summer works programme was how schools were given a face-lift and prepared for the new academic year. It helped to keep older schools going. It is an absurdity to end the scheme and it will cost a fortune in the long term if it is removed. I support the call by Senators Fitzgerald and O'Toole and other Senators to have a debate on the question of school buildings, on the maintenance of schools and on the input of parents to their funding. I ask the Leader to put it again to the Minister that the greatest priority for investment in education must be investment at the very junior level because that is where it makes the most difference.