Rónán Mullen (Independent)

I thank Senator Healy Eames for sharing time with me. It is a matter of pride to both of us that we are past pupils of Holy Rosary College, Mountbellew. It is a school in a medium-sized town in rural Ireland with approximately 500 students and we are glad that two representatives in the Seanad have come from it. Both Senator Healy Eames and I can and do state that, in a sense, this school typifies all that Irish education can be in terms of the quality of education on offer, the dedication of teachers, the support of the local community, the attention to high standards of education and a strong and unyielding focus on the dignity of each student and on care for their needs in the most holistic way possible. It is with particular enthusiasm therefore, that Senator Healy Eames and I wish to help to make the case and to ask the reason the necessary facilities have not been provided to date, given how deserving is this school and given that the Government has stated that notwithstanding the economic downturn, there is to be no let-up in terms of the investment at capital level in education——