I sat in my office in Carlow town last night until almost 9.30 p.m. with two primary school principals who tell me they lie awake at night wondering how they are going to pay the constantly increasing costs of running their schools. They, along with the multiple emails and calls I have received from across Carlow and Kilkenny from teachers and parents alike, have four simple asks: to increase the capitation fee for primary school principals; to reduce the teacher-pupil ratio; to roll out the small-school projects that we all agree have been a huge success in small schools nationally, such as Glynn National School in County Carlow; and to make the SEN co-ordinator a role in its own right. They are all asks that are included in the programme for Government. Can the Minister please ensure that sufficient funding is provided in budget 2026 to the Minister for education to ensure she can implement these measures in line with the programme for Government?

At the outset, I acknowledge the unbelievable work our principals do in our schools, the teaching they provide and the way in which they manage their schools. Of course I want to see more funding invested in education. Every cent we spend on a young person is not only an investment in their future but also an investment in our future. We have increased the capitation over the last number of budgets but of course I am currently, as we all are, engaging with the Ministers, Deputies Chambers and Donohoe, to ensure I can secure as much money as possible. What I am also doing, and what I think is really important, is taking a look at exactly what the costs are for schools. Whether it is electricity, heating, insurance costs or hidden costs we are not aware of, I want to understand exactly what the costs are on a day-to-day, weekly and monthly basis in our schools and then see how we can support them but also how we can bring those costs down.

That will feed into a wider piece of work I am doing. When it comes to the budget I will advocate, as we all are, for as much money as possible.