asked the Minister for Education the cost to the State of providing all students in the State with free secondary, technical and university education.

This supposes that all students in the State would be willing and able to benefit from education up to and including university level. It also implies that in such event the State could provide for this and continue to function.

As no such situation could arise anywhere, no purpose would be served by attempting to arrive at any reasonably accurate figure of the cost involved. It certainly would add something like £50 million to the present annual Budget.

What would be the cost of educating Deputy P.J. Burke?

Of educating Deputy Dillon?

What about the Balbriggan widow?

You would turn over many times before you would raise £50 million.