Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

There have not been many occasions when a Minister has come to the House to ask the Seanad to reverse the will it previously expressed, although attempts have been made in the Dáil to amend or remove amendments made in the Seanad. I was disappointed when the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Zappone, attempted to persuade the Seanad to reverse its decision. She did not succeed. At the time, it was seen as disrespectful to the Seanad to expect that, having voted once on the matter, Senators would change their minds on it within a few weeks. Attempting to reverse Seanad amendments in the Dáil is fine; it is a different House and we cannot control it.

The points made by Senator Byrne on the effect of Senator Gavan's amendment are inaccurate. It would not be the case that students' family situations or the names of parents would be printed on a list. This is about accounting within schools and identifying where the money is being spent. It is not a ledger of which families have paid. That is a bit of a red herring, as are the league tables. If anything, Senator Gavan's amendment would highlight the stark inequality in school funding and identify that certain families in certain communities can provide more than others. As Senator Gavan stated, by looking at the amount that schools are taking in through voluntary contributions, it would be possible to identify where there is underfunding and discern by how much we need to increase the capitation grant. I urge the Minister to rethink the amendment because this section of the Bill as it stands would provide invaluable information for the Department on how much schools are bringing in through voluntary contributions.