Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

There are a number of recurring themes we speak on in the Seanad across all parties. This morning I heard Pat Kenny on RTE read a letter from a woman who stated it was a very bad week for parents in Ireland. She was referring to the horrific deaths of the two Polish men — the second man has now died — caused by what appears to be a gang of young people. She was also referring to the tragic suicides in the west of Ireland, with two reported again this week.

This is a sad commentary after ten years of the Celtic tiger and an indictment of the Government, which has taken its eye off the ball with regard to public services, health services and a focus on drugs and alcohol. We have also had ongoing discussions here about drugs and alcohol and at a conference organised by MEAS yesterday we heard about the numbers of people, as young as 13, having access to alcohol.

I make a special request this morning that we ask the Ministers for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Education and Science and Health and Children to come together to begin a serious initiative to deal with these issues, as they are very corrosive. We would be letting down future generations if we did not address these issues.

We have had many task force reports on alcohol and it is time for action. We have all the information. I ask the Leader to bring to Government the request from this House for a serious initiative in this area of underage drinking and anti-social behaviour. This links to justice issues with regard to more community policing. We have seen a very depressing scenario this morning and I strongly believe we must invest more in public services.

I strongly believe there has not been the focus on social issues that there should have been in recent years. We will pay a very heavy price for this. It will not just be the more disadvantaged communities which will suffer, it will be Irish society as a whole that will pay the price.

Linked to this, another issue has emerged from the organisation of primary school principals, the IPPN. It is extremely concerned about funding for primary schools. The IPPN president has stated that each of the 455,000 children in our primary schools is supported at a rate of 96 cent per day, or half the cost of a loaf of bread. It is hardly a level of investment likely to enable us to keep pace with our EU neighbours.

The IPPN president also repeated what many of us here know, that many primary schools must raise funds to remain open and pay for basic necessities such as heat, light, insurance, cleaning and maintenance. Pressured parents sell jam and cakes to keep schools open. Funding for primary schools will have to be re-examined in light of this comprehensive survey which is being done in all primary schools and being reported on tonight on RTE's "Prime Time".

I ask the Leader to bring this information back to the Minister for Education and Science and allow us have another debate in this House on primary school education. It is very clear schools are continually being disappointed at the moment. I had a group of young pupils in yesterday from St. Brigid's school in Palmerstown who were excited about moving into a prefab so their school could be rebuilt. I received a reply from the Minister which was equivocal and which did not confirm the building would go ahead. This is one of many schools around the country who have been very disappointed at the lack of funding and the building programme seems to be grinding to a halt.