The Taoiseach and I have had the opportunity to speak about Seán Lemass previously and about his vision for this country and for education, and the Taoiseach said he is a great admirer of him. Seán Lemass had a big focus on primary school education. Page 86 of the programme for Government refers to education being the key to giving every child an equal opportunity in life. There are three areas I would like to mention in terms of investing for the best in primary education. Currently, our primary school class sizes are the biggest in the eurozone, being five above the EU average. We need to support school leaders by giving one management day per week to teaching principals and we need the restoration of positions of management. Currently, capitation grants are 14% less than they were ten years ago. Schools are struggling. They are very much underfunded which puts pressure back on parents. I would like to see some improvement in those areas. Obviously, next week is a big occasion for all of us but I would appreciate a response.

I agree with the Deputy's sentiments. Education is the great leveller and opportunity giver. Therefore, it is right we invest in it. The budget for education this year is €11 billion, the biggest ever budget for education since the foundation of the State. I am confident that the budget for next year will be bigger again. However, whether it gets allocated to the particular priorities the Deputy mentioned is a matter for the Minister for Education and Skills to decide on when he gets the budget for his Department, which he not yet got. Hopefully, we can give the Deputy a better answer in a few weeks.