James Heffernan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I rise to speak about the appalling scene that we witnessed last week in my local primary school. I am from Kilfinane in County Limerick and I could not believe that in the freezing cold and driving rain there was a stand-off between local parents, the school staff and local sub-contractors from the surrounding areas of Bruff, Elton and Murroe. Everyone knows one another there. In the approach to Christmas, it was disgraceful that hard-working, honest, decent family men felt they had no other option but to take matters into their own hands in an effort to recoup some of the money they were owed. This is not the first time that some of those sub-contractors have been left high and dry, almost broke and on the verge of bankruptcy by the same Government job.

Below-cost, yellow-pack tenders are being given out to dubious "John Wayne" contractors. When it comes to capital programmes in schools, and investing in the future of our children, the cheapest is not always the best. We should demand a state-of-the-art facility.