Hanafin blatantly misleading schools – Olwyn Enright

[Insider2007]

The National Development Plan does not cover all of Fianna Fáil’s election
promises

Olwyn Enright, Fine Gael Education and Science Spokesperson, has today
(Wednesday) said that Mary Hanafin’s statement on RTE that Fianna Fáil’s
education promises are costed in both their election manifesto and the
National Development Plan (NDP) is blatantly and deliberately misleading.

“This morning Fine Gael highlighted that many of Fianna Fáil’s education
promises are not costed, but Mary Hanafin’s response shows that she is
blatantly and deliberately misleading schools on funding.

“Mary Hanafin’s statement that all of the Fianna Fáil education promises are
accounted for in their manifesto and in the NDP just doesn’t add up.

“The fact is that only a handful of the Fianna Fáil manifesto commitments
are costed in their document, and there are big gaps in NDP funding as well.

“It’s now clear that, in education, Fianna Fáil’s sums just don’t add up:

1. The NDP makes no reference to reducing class sizes at second level in
Irish English and Maths.
2. The NDP makes no reference to the employment of support staff such as
secretaries and caretakers.
3. Fianna Fáil are promising more speech and language therapists – vital for
children with special educational needs – but these are not covered in the
NDP either.
4. How does the specific commitment to provide extra staff for the National
Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) stand up when there’s no provision for it
in either the Fianna Fáil manifesto costings or the NDP?

“Fine Gael has costed our proposals – we know where the money to keep our
promises is coming from. Why can’t Fianna Fáil give the people of Ireland
the same assurance?”

Ends.

[irishpeoplearewhingers]

I saw that debate around lunchtime. Enright was not so bad- much better than some of the other losers that FG have put on TV.