Critical Underspend in Education.

[Prester Jim]

Wife: 'Hi honey, I am back from the supermarket - just done the weekly shopping'
Hubby: 'Oh great, did you get everything?'
Wife: 'Yes, but funny, my budget was €200 but I only spent €150 ! '
Hubby: 'What! You silly person. You know you have to spend €200 every week. What went wrong?'
Wife: 'Well, prices have come down and I have everything we need and given that we are broke, in negative equity and the banks are trying to reposess the house, I though you would be pleased'
Hubby: 'No I am not pleased at all. This is not a saving - its an underspend. Our budget is €200 so just go spend it - the other problems have their own budgets and are unrelated to this budget.'
Wife: 'But...'

Hubby: ok I guess we will spend the extra 50 on getting the hole in the roof repaired so the kids don't get pneumonia.

[Mar Tweedy]

Or how about Mr and Mrs Parent save the 50 euro towards education costs as most parents know the best gift they can give their kids after love and security is an education.

The education underspend is an example of mismanagement. A false saving that will cost us in the future.

They are talking about it on PK on radio 1 now saying its terrible while kids sit in sh*tholes of schools that capital expenditure is held back. The capital expenditure would go further these days too as builders are cheaper and more available.

[Mar Tweedy]

Ranking health or education spending in terms of GDP can be somewhat misleading for Ireland. The GNP and GDP for most countries is very close. There's a particularly big difference between these in Ireland's case because of the multinational sector (about a 20% difference). GNP is a better indicator of the country's wealth. If one ranked Ireland's education or health spending in relation to GNP we'd do a lot better. We'd be fairly close to average OECD spending levels. I would guess much of our problems rise because an inordinate proportion of these budgets in Ireland go on staffing costs.

You'll find some studies adjust for that or use the GNP as proxy for GDP because the irish problem with relative inflated GDP is well known.

[Baron von Biffo]

It seems silly in one way alright but many of the schools are critically falling apart.
better to spend a little now to save in future.

This is a government that refuses to spend a little on a cancer vaccine that will save lives in the future, you'd hardly expect them to worry about future financial savings.

[Baron von Biffo]

If the Dept of Education cant find a home for this money then they should not be pressuried into wasting it.
They are the ones responsible for allocating money to the most worthy causes within education.
And if they dont see the need to spend it then its fine by me.
The Gov have already wasted enough billions of our taxpayers money so no more please.
Satisfying this kind of pressure by interest groups has got us into the mess we are in

Providing proper facilities for children isn't pandering to special interest groups.

[darkhorse]

Providing proper facilities for children isn't pandering to special interest groups.

the governemt are overspending €500m every week most of which is spent on the unemployed, the sick, children, education, the elderly, handicapped and the civil and public services. most are worthy causes in themsleves.
but the problem is we are broke.
it has to stop.

[Christine Murray]

critical infrastructure does not imply fasttrack profit driven insolvency but ensuring budget management that brings lrish education and healthcare to the top of the league and not for the idiots families who cooked the books but for a young and talented new generation. look at FF planning , it is degraded in essential infrastructural areas but it made billionaires.

[Christine Murray]

How cynical the Green Manouevres have been over the last few days, am waiting to hear what they
get in exchange for supporting FF until 2012; but @least the FF party will be getting permission for
whatever curbacks they feel necessary to Health and education spending. Am re-posting this comment:

http://www.politics.ie/2178512-post1.html