Gan amhras, is buiséad millteanach, cruálach agus dona é buiséad 2013. Aontaím leis an Taoiseach faoi Fhianna Fáil ach ní féidir leis an locht a chur ar na daoine eile mar gheall ar bheartais an Rialtais seo. The CSO figures released today show that the economy contracted by 0.4% between July and September. It is clear that the economy is flat and this cruel budget will make matters worse. The Government is inflicting more debt and more hurt on households. To their shame, Government Deputies are voting for harsh cuts to child benefit and the respite care grant and forcing desperate householders to seek assistance from wonderful charities like the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Barnardos and others. Today the Government will, with the minimum debate, impose the maximum debt on households by way of the family home tax.

This is not the only charge households are facing. I understand that patients, including cancer sufferers, will have to pay more next year for hospital stays. Meanwhile, waiting lists for operations grow longer as public services are starved of funding. At the same time, the Government has torn up its pledges on education. The increase in the pupil-teacher ratio from 17.1: 1 to 19.1: 1 for post-leaving certificate programmes is of particular concern. As a former teacher, the Taoiseach should be aware that this will result in the loss of hundreds of teaching posts and the cancellation of courses. Many young people who look to this process to progress beyond secondary education will be robbed of that chance. The Government talks about encouraging people to upskill and retrain in order to get a job, but the decisions it is taking totally subvert this. In my constituency of County Louth, there will be a loss of up to eight teaching posts in two further education colleges. I am sure it is the same throughout the State. Was this decision equality-proofed? Does the Taoiseach accept that it will see teaching posts lost, training courses closed down and job opportunities reduced?

Tá trí ní áirithe luaite ag an Teachta. In regard to the CSO figures and the state of the economy, I have already pointed out to Deputy Michael McGrath the quarterly results that were published today, showing that GDP grew by 0.8% year on year and by 0.2% in the third quarter of 2012.

Deputy Adams's main question related to pupil-teacher ratios.

I repeat that private consumption grew year on year for the first time since 2010. This encouraging development is in line with the figures set out by the Department of Finance. Growth will continue in 2012 and in 2013 for the third consecutive year. As both the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform pointed out in their budget presentations, we are making progress and are on the road to recovery in terms of our economic health, but there are serious challenges ahead.

The Deputy referred to cancer patients. Legislation that was enacted back in 1987 introduced an obligation for patients to pay a daily charge, which is currently set at €75 and capped at €750 or a maximum of ten days. In 2011 the Health Service Executive raised €50 million from that charge. As part of budget 2013 it was announced that the charge would be increased by €5 to €80. The charge applies to each inpatient or day-case patient. The fee is not connected to any particular disease or illness for which a person is being treated and no new charge for cancer patients was introduced here. I remind the House that the charge was increased annually by successive Fianna Fáil Governments in the period 2002 to 2009, with the exception of the election year of 2007, by an average of 12%.

Clearly, there are cases, which have come to my attention, where the discretionary element that always applied in the case of medical cards is being reviewed by the panel of doctors who examine that.

With regard to the pupil-teacher ratio mentioned by the Deputy, this applies for a percentage increase in respect of fee-paying schools. It does not apply in the case of other schools and will not lead to the loss of hundreds of jobs. The education sector is going through a period of quite significant change, and the use of technology should be encouraged far more. The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, for example, has connected another 286 secondary schools to 100 megabit speed Internet connection and a further 200 were approved yesterday. There are schools where the number of pupils is not large enough to have a range of teachers due to the pupil-teacher ratio that applies. In many such schools where some students wish to do honours mathematics, for example, they can do so through remote connection to schools where teachers can teach online. For the small numbers of pupils in particular schools who might wish to do honours mathematics because of the extra points or because they have a flair for it but because of the number of pupils in the school they do not have a teacher to teach them honours mathematics up to the leaving certificate, the use of technology is of growing interest and importance. That is both cost saving and very effective in the interest of individual or small groups of students in schools where they do not have such specialist teachers.

The Deputy's assertion that the increase in the pupil-teacher ratio for fee-paying schools will lead to the loss of hundreds of jobs is not accurate.

I remind Deputies that the Standing Order allows for a brief question on a matter of topical interest.

It is Christmas, a Cheann Comhairle.

I will make a brief comment.

Not on all three or four subjects please.

Okay. I asked one question, but I was given a commentary on what was wrong. People who happen to be in hospital will get no comfort from the Taoiseach's assertion that this extra charge does not apply to just to one illness or disease.

To refer to the question about post-leaving certificate courses, PLCs, my question was not about fee-paying schools but about colleges of further education. The post-leaving certificate courses involved are a liberation for many young people who might not have made it through education the first time around, who might not have made their minds up or who might have been in some other difficulty at the time and they now wish to get back into further education. With respect, the Taoiseach's answer was wrong. The Teachers Union of Ireland has said that the increase in the pupil-teacher ratio will result in the loss of 200 whole-time equivalent posts. This could mean up to 400 part-time posts. The cut is penny wise and pound foolish. It is not good economics, leaving aside the philosophy that underpins it. The Government has saved €4 million, but the social consequences are immeasurable. The Government is robbing many citizens of the opportunity of further education. Contrast that with what the Taoiseach says about retraining people and opening education to people. For many, PLCs are a first step into a successful career. Was an equality assessment of this measure carried out? The Taoiseach did not answer that question.

I do not have the detail of everything associated with this. The Deputy referred to the issue of patients being treated. A total of 67,206 discretionary medical cards were issued to people who have particular hardship or because of the nature of the illness being treated. A total of 450 new primary teacher positions were approved as well as 450 post-primary teacher positions. Earlier today, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, and the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Deputy Ciarán Cannon, announced the provision of 6,000 extra post-primary places for persons who are long-term unemployed with a view to giving them the opportunity to get back into the world of work, where the majority of them wish to be. I am sure the 6,000 extra places will be of interest to colleges of further education.

What about the pupil-teacher ratio?