Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It would be remiss of me not to echo and endorse the remarks of the Minister of State which are correct. I fully agree with them. I do not think there is anything in his summation that I do not agree with.

I come from a rural part of Ireland where the Roman Catholic Church made a significant contribution to teaching and education. If they were not there, it probably would not have happened at all or it would have been primitive. However, they should not have had to do it and they should not have been asked to do it, and now they should not be doing it.

In the town where I live there are three secondary schools even though there is a population of less than 1,000. There is a school population, if one were to combine the three schools, of 500. I am on an amalgamation committee to try and get a community school and we are making significant progress in that regard.