Mary Moran (Labour)

If one looks at the €13 million enhanced capitation we have got €2 million worth of schoolbooks funding for DEIS schools and the €26 million investment in the home-school community liaison will be continued for 2012. The five existing scholarship schemes for higher education are being replaced with a single bursary style merit based scheme with awards set at €2,000 per student. The bursary will be an additional support to incentive and reward high achievement for students from DEIS schools. All DEIS second level schools will be given targeted support by a more favourable staffing ratio of 18.25:1. This is a 0.75% reduction compared to the 19:1 ratio in non-fee paying schools.

I refer to small schools and the constant bombardment from the Opposition. When Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats were in government in 1992, Fianna Fáil published a Green Paper which sought to close all schools with fewer than four teachers. That seems to be forgotten.