Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for my late arrival and for missing the presentations but I have read them. I have a question for Ms Noelle O'Connell from European Movement Ireland. Ms O'Connell referred to a decline in trust. Has there been a change in attitude to Europe? When Ireland joined the EEC there was a much more defined party structure and party support and RTE was the means of accessing information. Nowadays news is instant and we have more access to information as to what is happening in other countries. The downturn in the economy has played a large part because for a long time Europe was presented to us as being what we could get out of it in terms of infrastructural or agricultural grants. This attitude has changed in time and we have seen that with the referenda.

I refer to the presentation from Youth Work Ireland. Is the history of the EEC and of post-war Europe taught in the CPSE programme in schools? I have been invited to speak to CPSE classes in schools. Is this happening in all schools? Should CPSE be a compulsory subject? I refer to the practice of discontinuing the teaching of history at leaving certificate level which may cause problems in how historical events are viewed.