Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)

A tremendous amount of provision has been put in place in the past ten or 12 years for special needs and resource teachers. The change does not even affect every part of the country. In my constituency of Tipperary South, no school was affected by that decision. Something that does not even affect every constituency in the country legitimately deserves the description I attached to it.

The final point is one on which I failed to respond to Senator Harris. He wants to see farmers pay much more tax. Farmers are among the poorest people in this country today. The lowest paid salary of any full-time civil or public servant in this country is €20,000. Many small farmers are earning far below that figure. I accept there is a commercial sector and some of those farmers might be doing well, and obviously, they should pay tax like everybody else, but I do not underestimate the extreme income marginality of very many farmers. It is much too easy to say that this sector is essentially wealthy, but it only applies to a small part of the sector.