Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I know how passionately Senator Cullinane feels about this subject. The seriousness of this issue surrounds the difficult budgetary constraints in which we find ourselves. The Minister, Deputy Quinn, and I, with our colleagues in the Department of Education and Skills, had challenging and stark decisions to make in the run-up to the budget. We needed to protect those on the front line, the young children in primary and post-primary schools, for whom we hope to provide the best possible opportunity and the best quality of education with the best possible pupil teacher ratio. Making those stark decisions obliged us to look at this option. The decision was not taken lightly.

I have every confidence in the management of the VEC structure across the country to be as innovative as possible in responding to the challenge of delivering services with the reduced pupil teacher ratio. I agree with the Senator that it is a challenge. I am confident they will be able to do that and will continue to provide the kind of courses to which the Senator refers which will empower the unemployed to get back to work as soon as possible and will provide them with the skills to do so.