Schools are at absolute breaking point financially. Having spoken to a number of principals in recent days, I have come to the understanding that schools are unable to continue providing an education because they do not have the funds to operate. One principal informed me that the Department of Education and the financial support services unit, FSSU, have told schools to take money out of their hot meals account to pay their bills. That is absolutely outrageous. In other instances, the Department has advised schools to set up a payment plan to pay for heating and lighting costs. That payment plan can only last for one month. A principal of one school outlined how the heating is being turned off and students are being asked to put on their coats.

Another principal told me the school had to use the grant it received in January for maths equipment to pay for lighting and heating costs. This has a knock-on effect for the upcoming academic year. Summer capitation grants could be used for equipment and minor works, as the Minister knows, for the academic year to come but the backlog of bills and invoices are actually being paid for with this capitation grant. We are in a situation now where schools are robbing Peter to pay Paul in the context of this capital grant.

I absolutely accept the importance of the individual issues the Deputy has raised, but his statement regarding schools that are unable to provide education does not tally with the quality of education and teaching that happens across our schools in this country. I am not denying for a moment that there are issues that many schools confront but what we have seen is, with regard to the funding that is available to the Department of Education, the money they spend and the teachers that are available to them, the investment levels have gone up year after year. I know the Minister, Deputy McEntee, will continue to do all she can with the funding available to her to respond to the important issues many schools are facing at the moment. We have never spent so much on our schools as we are spending at the moment because we have never had so many reasons to be reminded of how important our schools are at the moment.