This morning in my constituency, along with Deputy Crawford and local councillors, I visited Iorball Sionnaigh national school in Scotstown, County Monaghan. We witnessed no less than six classes with in excess of 30 pupils. In the pre-secondary year, in sixth class, we found 36 pupils. Does the Tánaiste recognise this is the reality which many of our young people, particularly in the primary school sector, contend with as they endeavour to learn in what we regard as a so-called knowledge economy?

Does the Tánaiste recognise that the single greatest difficulty that pupils and teachers will face in the coming academic year of 2005-06 is the unacceptably large numbers in classes? Is she aware that in this State we have the second highest average class size in the European Union? Does she recall that in the agreed programme between her party and Fianna Fáil in preparation for Government, she committed to reducing the class sizes to below the international best practice of 20:1, yet the current numbers are 24:1 and, as in the instance that I cited at the outset of my question, the reality in many classes in many schools is much higher? Did the Tánaiste get feedback on this from her own canvassers in Meath and north Kildare where the average in both counties runs well above the national average and is recorded at 26:1 and 27:1 respectively?

Will the Government act decisively to reduce the unacceptably high class sizes in real terms in the coming year? Will the Tánaiste commence the recruitment of additional teachers to alleviate the distress, particularly of teachers but also of pupils, arising from this situation? Is she aware that the INTO has indicated that there are in excess of 1,000 trained teachers available if the system will open its doors and accept them?

A substantial investment has been made in education in recent years. The priorities have been resource teachers, special needs teachers and areas of disadvantage. When all those teachers are included, the overall national average has fallen from 22.2:1 in 1996-7 to 17.44:1. If a school has a class of more than 30 pupils, it means it has many fewer——

There are some in the Tánaiste's constituency.

Yes, but overall in the school there cannot be those averages. It means there are low numbers in some classes. That is how some schools——

We have all seen the schools and that is not true.

The Department of Education and Science appoints and pays for a teacher for 29 students; that is a fact. We must do more but we must have a sense of priority.

Why does the Government not do it? It has a great deal of money.

Over the last seven years, 4,000 extra teachers have been employed.

The Tánaiste knows there is a significant difference between the pupil-teacher ratio and the average class size but she and her colleagues continue to refer to it almost as a crutch for their own failures to address the real need in the education system. She should make no mistake. It is like saying there are 166 Members in the Dáil and seven political parties and, therefore, we can say the average representation of each of the parties is 23.7. It is absolutely ludicrous, meaningless, false and misleading.

When the Tánaiste cites those figures, she includes non-teaching principals, special needs teachers and resource teachers who work on a one-to-one basis and do not take classes. We are talking about teachers dealing with classes with in excess of 30 pupils. It is an outrage and no teacher can possibly give the time necessary to the needs of each pupil.

We need to know what action the Government proposes taking to address this serious situation. Will the Tánaiste lift the embargo on the creation of new teaching posts? Will she act to ease the burden on teachers who must teach in multiple classes, a reality in many small rural schools?

What is the position with the revised system for the allocation of special needs teachers? We have seen the terrible tragedy and the travesty of the treatment of the O'Hara family in the last two weeks and we need to know exactly what the Tánaiste and her Government colleagues will do.

Contrary to what the Deputy said, there is no embargo on teacher recruitment. If we did not have multiple classes, many of the rural schools would close. We will strive to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio for all students but the priorities will clearly continue to be special needs and areas of disadvantage.

The average class size is the important figure.

There are students in classes of 15 and apparently the literacy levels are no different so it is not just about more teachers, it is about new teaching methods.