Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I am disappointed with the Minister of State's response, although I appreciate it is one of those set-piece documents the Department doles out on this issue. The reality is that one size does not fit all when it comes to gaelscoileanna. I appreciate that we must get by with fewer resources, but I remind the Minister of State that we are about to pay back very large amounts of money to unsecured bondholders. Even a slight reduction in that repayment would facilitate the issue of immersion education and the needs of Gaelscoil Chnoc na Ré and others like it throughout the State.

I also remind the Minister of State that at a recent meeting of the Joint Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education, there was cross-party agreement, including from Labour Party Members, that we should lobby heavily on this issue. I ask the Minister of State to urge her colleague, the Minister, Deputy Quinn, to direct that common sense prevail in the appeal process in regard to this school.