Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh míle maith agat, a Chathaoirligh. Mo leithscéal go raibh orm seasamh amach le haghaidh vóta sa tSeanad.
Tá fáilte roimh na grúpaí ar fad agus tá an caidreamh iontach spéisiúil. Tagaim le gach rud atá ráite ag an cheathrar atá anseo thar ceann na n-eagraíochtaí Gaeilge. Tá an-chiall leis an rud atá siad a rá,

Cén chaoi a fheiceann siad an polasaí seo de chuid na Roinne ag suí le Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge, polasaí eile de chuid an Rialtais? An bhfuil siad ag teacht salach ar a chéile? An féidir leo teacht le chéile, nó céard é a dtuairim faoi sin? Ó thaobh na straitéise de, céard faoin méid atá luaite faoin ról a bhéas ag scoileanna i gcur chun cinn na Gaeilge ins na pobail agus an cúram breise a bheith ag tacú leis an Ghaeilge a cur chun cinn? Céard iad na himpleachtaí atá ann muna nglacfar le tuairimí na n-eagraíochtaí, ó thaobh daoine sa Státseirbhís a mbeidh Gaeilge ar a dtoil acu amach anseo agus ó thaobh daoine atá oilte mar mhúinteoirí ag múineadh Gaeilge ins na scoileanna amach anseo? An bhfuil impleachtaí ann muna nglacfar le tuairimí na ngrúpaí?

Ceann des na rudaí is mó a chloisimid ins na Tithe seo maidir leis an ghaelscolaíocht ná go bhfuil eliteachas ag baint leis. An dtagann na cainteoirí leis sin, nó an bhfuil aon chruthúnas acu go bhfáiltíonn na gaelscoileanna roimh daoine ó chúlra míbhuntáistiúil, le daoine ó ghrúpaí eitneacha mionlaigh nó le daoine le míchumais áirid? An féidir sin a shéanadh nó an bhfuil eliteachas ar bun ag na gaelscoileanna agus ar cheart dúinn fáil réidh leis an eliteachas áirithe sin?

I also thank the other speakers for their contributions and apologise for leaving the meeting briefly. I am very much in favour of the proposals made by Inclusion Ireland as they would move us towards a much more inclusive type of education. I would like children with a disability to be able to attend their local school and have support services available to them. Should schools be allowed to differentiate between different types of special needs without unnecessarily discriminating against students? What is our guests' experience of over-subscribed schools and the numbers of appeals being made? I ask them to expand on the view that the role of the Health Service Executive and Garda Síochána under head 9 is legally problematic?

I concur with much of what Ms Harmon said. There is a major issue with Traveller and Roma participation in our schools and education system generally and we must work towards improving that. I hope I am not going over ground that has been covered. On the role envisaged for principals in the transfer from primary to secondary education, how will this work in practice?

I thank Ms Donnelly for her contribution. She raised some very interesting questions. On Atheist Ireland's position vis-à-vis the position taken by some of the other witnesses, what is its view on reserving places on the basis of language background or special needs?