Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Last weekend, I visited the Longford Arms Hotel to meet with a large group of more than 40 refugees from Ukraine who have come to our county in recent days. I compliment Orla Reynolds, another staff member, Aisling, and all the staff on the way they have looked after the group for the past week and a half. The people seeking refuge were very complimentary and appreciative of the staff for all that has been done for them.

I thank the Government for the significant funding that has gone into capital funding for education infrastructure in my county. I pay tribute to the boards of management and principals for the work they have done in putting forward their proposals. As politicians, we like to claim credit for these things but the reality is that the funding would not be put in place by Government if it were not needed to cater for the increase in population.

Recently, 1,194 schools throughout the country, with 240,000 pupils, have received funding under the delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, scheme. This funding is allocated based on the Pobal HP deprivation index. The entitlements the designation gives a school include an undertaking to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio to 1:23 at primary level, provision of additional schoolbook programmes and so on. There is a large range of additional supports at both primary and post-primary level. However, these are things to which all pupils should be entitled. I am concerned that we are creating something of a two-tier system. When it comes to additional school meals programmes, planning supports and schoolbook grants, to name just a few, all pupils in all our schools should be entitled to those supports. We need to look at putting additional funding in place to make sure all our pupils, no matter where they go to school, get those entitlements, including reduced pupil-teacher ratio numbers.