Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

I am not happy with the rant I heard from Senator Harris on the Order of Business. I do not know if this is the appropriate place for him to defend and justify the Taoiseach's actions and, as my colleague stated, to deflect from so many issues that affect people.

I ask the Deputy Leader, as previous colleagues on this side of the House have done, to invite the Minister for Education and Science to the House for one serious debate on the underfunding of primary education. The summer works scheme is gone, although it allowed much valuable work to be done during the summer. The devolved scheme which allowed local communities to build classrooms has been slashed. Water charges have been introduced and a new form of funding, namely, fundraising, such as "Who wants to be a Thousandaire?". That is the way our schools are being funded. In the past three weeks I have written three cheques for three different schools that were trying to get advertising to fund "Who wants to be a Thousandaire?". What is our chance in the knowledge society? I do not know.