I put to the Tánaiste a truly disgraceful situation that exposes the consequences of the Government's failure to properly fund our schools. Parents at Darver National School in County Louth were contacted this week and told that the school could no longer afford basic hygiene supplies because Government grants had fallen so far behind rising costs. The principal was forced to ask every child to come in with their own hand towel and roll of toilet paper. This is the Ireland the Government has created. It is an Ireland where primary schools cannot afford toilet paper, where principals are left pleading with parents for essentials that no school should ever have to ration and where families are picking up the tab for the Government's neglect. It is an absolute disgrace. Will the Government urgently look at the inadequate capitation our schools are getting? This school applied through all the channels for emergency funding and was refused. This principal did not want to have to send out this email but this is exactly the situation the Government has put this school in and, unfortunately, other schools like it.

I have heard this raised a couple of times. I would certainly like to hear more in relation to this. We have increased our funding levels to schools each and every year. We increased our capitation funding in the budget this year. I have never before heard the idea that children have to bring their own toilet roll to schools. This needs to be explored and we need to understand more comprehensively the rationale behind the sending of any such email to parents. That is not a widespread practice across our schools.

No money.

It is not widespread. Are there schools in Donegal or Wicklow asking people?

They-----

Hang on a second. Do not shout me down.

We are doing a bake sale next week. We are doing a fundraiser next week.

You need to allow the Tánaiste to speak.

The Deputy is here long enough. He asks and I get to speak.

You asked me a question.

That is how it works.

You asked me the question.

It is a democracy. Remember that. The Deputy asked me a question and I will answer it how I wish. The answer I wish to give is I want to understand exactly what happened in relation to that situation from the Department of education because the practice the Deputy referenced is not widespread. Nor is it reflective of this Government's commitment to investing more in education, most particularly when we saw an increase in capitation funding for all our schools in the recent budget, quite rightly so, because investing in education is key to our economic success.