Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

I understand that the Leader had to make some changes to the Order Paper today. When we talked last week about the Water Services (Amendment) Bill he said he would give us as much time as was required on Second Stage. I propose that while the statements and question and answer session on housing is deferred for obvious reasons, to which I will refer in a moment, that he should allow for an extension to the debate on the Water Services (Amendment) Bill. I am sure several speakers are offering on the Government side, as on the Opposition side. That would be a proper use of Seanad time. I ask the Leader to accede to this request.

In light of the resignation yesterday of the former Minister of State, Deputy Penrose, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste can count themselves lucky in one regard, that the rest of the Cabinet are not as principled as Deputy Penrose. Otherwise, there would be no one left at the Cabinet table.

This brings me to today's business. I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that the Minister for Education and Skills come to the House to explain Government plans for the abolition of all financial supports to new post-graduate students from next year, and the scrapping of existing grants and maintenance support for post-graduate students. I remind the Government, and particularly Labour Party members of the Government, that their party gave a pledge to "reverse the €500 increase in the student services charge and the €200 charge for post-leaving certificate courses that were recently introduced by Fianna Fáil". I wonder if Labour Party colleagues remember the picture published on 21 February 2011, four days before the general election, of Deputy Ruairí Quinn outside Senator Bacik's alma mater, Trinity College. He was photographed signing a pledge on behalf of the Labour Party that not only would there be no increase in third level student fees but that the Labour Party would reverse last year's €500 increase and would not introduce third level fees.

Yesterday, the Minister for Education and Skills said "We are not in that space anymore". What space is that? Is it the space of four days to go to a general election when one continues to throw promise after promise but once in Government proceeds to break those promises? When Deputy Quinn signed that pledge, did he know he was lying to people? I am sure he did. He has continued to lie to people. He is lying to the 20,000 students from all across Ireland who will be outside Government Buildings today protesting at the most blatant breach of trust between a Government and the young people we are supposed to support. Did Senator Bacik and her Labour Party colleagues also sign this pledge? We all signed it.

The Labour Party also signed an undertaking to introduce a climate change Bill. That has gone. Most importantly, the Labour Party signed a pledge to the young people of Ireland to reverse the €500 increase and not to introduce third level fees. The party is now taking the legs from under those pledges and is planning to scrap existing maintenance grants.

I want the Minister for Education and Skills to come to the House today to answer to the elected Members of the Oireachtas as to why he feels it is appropriate to lie to the people and to continue to do so.