Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Chathaoirleach. Tá a fhios againn go léir gur ceart bunreachtúil ceart an bhunoideachais sa tír seo agus is ceart an-thábhachtach é sin. Tagann sé díreach ón mBunreacht agus caithfear an ceart sin a chur i bhfeidhm do gach páiste sa tír seo. Ní féidir le haon pháiste a bheith fágtha ar lár maidir leis. I thank Senator Murphy for his commitment to this and I also thank the Department of Education. This is happening and it is going through the normal stages. There is money behind it. It can happen and will happen. Senator Murphy is speaking about the constitutional right to education. As a Fianna Fáil Minister of State I am very proud that it was put in our Constitution in very dark days in the late 1930s. There is a constitutional right to primary education. Everything we do, particularly with regard to primary education, needs to be with this constitutional right in mind. It is a very important constitutional right. It is the only socioeconomic right that is clear-cut and specifically written into the Constitution. Everything we do should be focused on it. The success of the State, and the State has been remarkably economically and socially successful since independence, has been down to our focus on education. Of course it is an ancient Irish trait. We have always been focused on education and learning. We have really put it into practice since independence. This constitutional right and this success must be spread to every child, including the children in Ballinasloe about whom Senator Murphy has spoken.