Tomorrow afternoon, the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, INTO, and teachers from DEIS band 1 schools will gather at the Department of Education and Skills to hand in a letter to the Minister about their concerns regarding a lack of targeting of educational disadvantage in the budget. The pupil-teacher ratio was reduced for other schools but there was no corresponding reduction for DEIS band 1 schools, which are the most disadvantaged schools in the country. Does this signal a change in approach by the Government on the principle of targeting those children who are most severely affected by disadvantage, as their education would therefore be affected by that disadvantage? Traditionally we have ensured additional resources would go to that sector and we accept the principle that smaller class sizes will help to overcome that disadvantage. Is this a change in policy?

There is no change in policy. We now have the lowest pupil-teacher ratios in primary schools ever and that has been delivered by this Government with the biggest budget ever for education.

I am talking specifically about disadvantaged schools.

The targeting of additional resources is both for disadvantaged schools and children with special educational needs.

The pupil-teacher ratio has not been reduced for them.