Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

I second the motion.

I ask the Members opposite to have a detailed read of the motion we have tabled. It is a very different one from that tabled in the Dáil. If the Senators read it, they will not be able to argue with what we are stating. We are not in any way castigating or criticising the Government. Senator Pat O'Neill may laugh all he wants but he should note that anyone who has gone to public meetings across this country, in Dublin and other cities or in any rural community, will know that this is a very serious issue. We are taking it very seriously in the motion. We are identifying very clearly what we and every citizen believes. They believe in the importance of education and of children who require special needs attention and not in undoing the good work that has been done by successive Governments over the past 15 years on the mainstreaming of children.

There are many issues that every Government must deal with. Every Government must make many difficult choices. There are many difficult choices that the previous Government made whose flaws were well articulated by the then Opposition, now the current Government. One was the increase in the pupil-teacher ratio under the last Government.

The Minister of State is welcome to the House but it is a pity that the Minister, Deputy Quinn, cannot be present. The latter is the man who initiated the review of DEIS schools. Many colleagues have raised this point. It is a pity the Minister is not present to answer the queries himself. In the amendment tabled to our motion, it is stated there is no increase in the average ratio of 28:1 for the allocation of classroom teachers at primary level. Having said that, the Minister of State knows 47% of all schools are affected by the changes proposed by the Government. Some 7% of schools in the country are affected by the changes the Minister of State has made, or the Government proposes to make.

To state that the pupil teacher ratio, PTR, is not affected in any way, shape or form is patently wrong. From our perspective, the savings that are apparently to be made amount to approximately €15 million in one calendar year. Is that the price we put on our children's education? I ask the Minister of State to think about this and show his independence on this matter. People have rightly described and criticised this policy of the Government.

The Government does not get everything right. One of the points about being in Government is realising when this happens, such as with the proposed cuts in disability benefit. That issue was first raised in this House. The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, did the right thing at the time and apologised, admitting the cut should not be made and that she would review the matter. The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, has said he is reviewing the DEIS schools but there is no clarity yet, as my colleagues noted.

All Members are honoured to serve in a Parliament of a republic. Any true republic respects its minorities, it must do so. In the proposals laid down by the Government in the budget, 65% of all Church of Ireland schools in this country will be disproportionately affected by these cuts. That follows on from the increase in the PTR in fee-paying schools at secondary level, many of which are also Church of Ireland schools. There is such a thing as choice although for years there was not. Parents are entitled to choice. They are entitled to bring up and have their children educated according to their own ethos, or no ethos at all. I support that.

However, I do not support and feel very strongly about this absolute attack on Church of Ireland and minority faith schools in this country. However we dress it up, even though it may not have been intentional - I take it that it was not - that is what is happening. All Senators know that, from the representations they have received from schools throughout the country. Other colleagues will speak about Gaeltacht and rural schools which have been affected disproportionately. There are the gaelscoileanna, of which there are four in my constituency. I raised one of them in an Adjournment debate with the Minister of State last week.

I put it to my colleagues this is an opportunity for all of us in this House to make a decision as a group and state the proposed cuts, which would save €15 million in a year, are wrong. That is the essence of the motion tabled by the Fianna Fáil Senators. We drafted it in the best way possible because we tried not to be partisan and simply call it as it is, stating that we all prioritise education and want our children to be educated well. We want those of them who need more assistance in school, including children with special needs, not to lose resource teachers.

Will the Cathaoirleach indulge me for one moment? If one looks at what has been done to permanent learning support, one sees that instead of calculating on the basis of the number of pupils in the school, the basis is now the number of teachers. That concerns four-teacher schools and downwards. The Old Borough school in Swords, which I raised two weeks ago, is losing its full-time permanent learning support teacher. That is a Church of Ireland school but Gaeltacht schools are affected too, as well as small schools all over the country.

These measures are not right. I know my colleagues do not believe they are correct. I take it this may have been unintentional. I ask Senators to do the right thing, support this motion and send a message to the Minister for Education who cannot be present this evening.