Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)

Speaking on "Six-one" on the day of the public expenditure statements, namely, the Monday preceding the Budget Statement, the Minister stated he would ask schools to consider amalgamation. Those were his words and maybe different meanings could be drawn from them but what is the message they convey to schools? The Government has decided, on the basis that it did not receive many votes from a certain sector, that it is all right to target this sector for savings because it is a constituency that votes for Fianna Fáil.