‘Real debate’ needed on decreasing spend on education, says minister

A REAL debate is needed on Ireland’s falling spend on education compared to health and social welfare budgets, Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has claimed.

He pointed to the changed proportions of Government spending under the three headings since 1996, including a fall in education’s share from 19% to 16%. In the same time, Mr Quinn told the MacGill Summer school in Glenties, health spending has risen from 21% to 25% and social welfare costs have gone from 22% to 36%.

“This dramatic shift has taken place without any real discourse about our national priorities. Perhaps it’s time that we initiated that debate,” he said.