Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

On the contrary, they have engaged in a very constructive way with the Department and Members of this House in informing and explaining to Members the distinction with regard to Protestant schools in the areas in which they are involved and particularly the demands met in rural areas. The campaign will be part of the deliberative process in the budgetary process. They have also accepted the fact that everybody has to take a hit in the current climate and are being constructive in the proposals they are putting to the Minister. Far from being weak, he will endeavour to the best of his abilities to ensure the constitutional imperatives to which the Senator referred are discharged fully for the protection of those students who wish to follow a specific spiritual ethos and those parents who wish to access that spiritual ethos in their children's education.