Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate and congratulate Fine Gael for tabling it. I also welcome the Minister. We have soldiered for many years in various fora, both for and against each other.

I stress to my colleagues on the Government side, particularly the new Green Party Members, that while the Government is always presented as speaking with one voice, it does not mean there are not different views within Government. I suspect the Minister would seriously welcome the Green Party using its leverage to secure more for education. The current Minister would have no difficulty with such an approach.