Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

I am glad Senator Ross raised the issue of the student demonstration today. I remind the House that in 1997 when Tony Blair was campaigning to become Prime Minister, he said his government had three priorities: education, education and education. Yesterday I had the privilege of attending my daughter's graduation ceremony at DCU, along with over 1,000 students, bright, happy and confident, as youth invariably expresses itself. The ceremony was aided by an inspiring speech by the president of DCU, Brian McGrath, in which he spoke about the glass being half full rather than half empty. He outlined the job opportunities for DCU students and the fact that it is one of the top universities in Europe and one of the top universities in Ireland for job creation. I could not help but contrast that speech with the fact that 25,000 students will be on the streets today protesting, as students have the right to do and have traditionally done over decades, about the cost of education. I could not help but reflect that the Croke Park deal is protecting the income of 370,000 workers, including teachers, over the next four years and that one of those teaching unions has remained outside that process while, at the same time, students are protesting, and rightly so, about what they regard as an increase.

Three of my children have gone on to third level education, of whom two are still there, one is job-seeking and a fourth child will be going to third level in the next two years. As a parent rather than as a politician, I do not need any lectures from people about the cost of third level education but we will bear that burden, as every other parent has borne it and will continue to bear it.