Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

I thank Senator Ross for sharing time with me. I am disappointed that the Minister has gone, because he is effectively putting a freeze on educational spending and he has given us the advance notice tonight. It can be dressed up in any way, but cutbacks are here. The Fianna Fáil election promise on reducing class sizes, on its commitment to special needs, ICT and the schools building programme is gone. The Minister has misled the Irish people by telling them, and the children of Ireland, blatant lies. Be it on the heads of the Members opposite when they speak about investment in education because the Government has failed the people of Ireland.

The Minister referred to information technology. What happened last June when the Department of Education and Science decided to axe 20 IT advisers to schools? Where was the commitment of the Government? These IT advisers were giving support to the development of computer and IT education in schools. They are gone at the stroke of a pen. This is short-sighted vision.