Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Recruitment of up to 2,800 staff will take place between 2013 and 2014. This is significant and good news for our young people who are the people we need to value most. Two thirds of those jobs will preserve class sizes and ensure that class sizes are kept down. The other third will be for resource teaching. The fact that €1.3 billion will be protected for supports for children with special educational needs and that an additional €33 million will also go into this budget is fantastic. This is great news for our children.

The spending on the overhaul of the junior certificate, which was €1.4 million, will be increased to €4.8 million in 2014. Again, it comes back to comments made by Senator Darragh O'Brien earlier. It is very easy to be in Opposition and to slam and take everything out. One must acknowledge the good points that are there and allow Senators time to speak. The money that will be put into the roll-out of the junior certificate reform is good news. Senator Darragh O'Brien said earlier that the Labour Party is inconsequential and has done nothing. One must look at the work done by the Minister for Education and Skills in the field of education which must broadly be welcomed by everybody, especially in view of how far-reaching it is. I know from going into and teaching in schools that they acknowledge the work that is going on.

A total of €9 million will be available to continue rolling out numeracy and literacy initiatives.

It is good news that €15 million will be allocated over the next three years for book rental schemes for all primary school children. The roll-out of high speed broadband will continue so that all our schools have access to it. That is another good move by this Government.