Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald has written to the Taoiseach this morning to insist on the immediate withdrawal of his budgetary proposal to use €9million of public money on pouches for mobile phones.

She described it as a scandalous waste of public money at a time when so many schools are struggling to pay for heating and to keep the lights on.

Ms McDonald said:

“There is rightly huge anger at the government decision to use €9million on pouches for mobile phones. This is a scandalous waste of public money, at a time when so many schools are struggling to pay for heating and to keep the lights on. The lack of proper funding puts a huge burden on parents and teachers to pay so called voluntary contributions and to constantly fundraise the resources needed.

“By contrast the budgetary allocation of only €10million to school capitation shows a wilful disregard for the struggle faced by schools, teachers and parents across the country.

“This latest squandering of taxpayers’ money comes on the back of massive overruns in the National Children’s Hospital, the €336,000 bicycle shed, the €1.4million security hut and €442,000 each for modular homes that were meant to cost €200,000.

“Our education system is in desperate need of additional resources and that is where the €9million should be invested, not in pouches for mobile phones. The onus is now on the Taoiseach to act and to immediately withdraw this proposed waste of taxpayers money.”