Jimmy Harte (Labour)

No rural schools are being forced to close in Donegal. I make this point for the benefit of the Fianna Fáil Members as well as Sinn Féin. I agree with much of what is in the Fianna Fáil motion. However, we are in a position where there is an inevitability with regard to what will happen. I would love us to be in the position in which Fianna Fáil was ten years ago when it had a surplus budget. We do not have that luxury today, though we wish we had. Senator Power suggested that €40 million could be got from the universal social charge. However, when an argument is made for funding for health services, will she say again there is €40 million to be got from that charge? We cannot just argue that €40 million can be taken from the universal charge for education this week and then next week put the same argument for it to be put someplace else. We cannot just set aside €40 million for education and then forget about health. It is not as simple as that, although we wish it were.