Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I join my colleagues who have expressed satisfaction at the decision of the Irish Farmers' Association and the ICMSA regarding the forthcoming vote on the Lisbon treaty. Rural Ireland has benefited to an unprecedented degree from our involvement in the European Community and the European Union. It would be tragic if there was not full support from farming communities for the Lisbon treaty. I hope now after all the arguments and doubts expressed in recent weeks that farmers and farming families will come on board and support the Lisbon treaty because the interest of Irish agriculture is best served, and really only served, by full engagement with the European Union.

I also support what was said by Senator Hannigan with regard to the construction industry. I ask the Leader to address the schools building programme. Many colleagues, including myself, have extended good wishes to the students commencing the leaving certificate examination today. It must be acknowledged that many thousands of those students have spent the past five or six years or perhaps even the past 12 or 13 years in sub-standard accommodation. There is a massive schools building project list in the Department. The new Minister, notwithstanding the fact he is still reading himself into his brief, has major decisions to make with regard to school buildings in the next few weeks and months. If there is one area of construction we cannot afford to have delayed, it is in the area of education. I ask that the Minister for Education and Science be invited to the House before the summer recess to outline the level of funding available, his commitments in this regard and the promises that will be fulfilled. It is only 18 months since major commitments were made by the previous Minister and, perhaps because of the change in financial circumstances, those commitments have not been fulfilled. We need clarification from the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, and we need a debate on the schools building programme. We need the State to recognise that from the point of view of education, buildings cannot wait. We cannot defer the future of our children's education. We must continue to invest in the schools building programme. I ask that in the near future the Minister would address the House on this vital issue.