Dan Boyle (Green Party)

I appreciate the presence of the Minister of State for this debate and that of the Minister earlier. The Government amendment states a number of facts. More money is being spent in Department of Education and Science than has ever spent previously. More money is being spent on the schools building programme. More new schools are being built and more schools are being maintained than ever previously. Despite this and partially because of something the Minister said in her contribution, expectations are not being met. Tolerance levels that prevailed many years ago were far too high for school conditions that passed for acceptable but were far too low. School communities and the parents of children rightly do not expect their children to be educated or to spend their time in an environment where they are not provided with proper resources and facilities over prolonged periods. That is the position in which we find ourselves, despite the increase in resources in this area.

Much of the frustration that exists is not only because of failure to deliver school building projects within an understandable span of time but also because of the existing information systems advising the people concerned whether their schools building project and their communities will be provided for.