Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I may have to leave before the Minister answers because I must go to the Dáil Chamber shortly, but I will return.

I thank the Minister for setting out the strategy statement which is important. One of the problems we have had with action plans is that some of the key issues were not dealt with. Issues such as teacher supply were hardly mentioned; in fact, that issue was denied. The biggest problem facing the Department is teacher supply. It will probably improve at primary level, but the shortage of teachers at second level is having a massive impact on the teaching of many subjects and the running of schools. It is also having a huge impact sna Gaelcoláistí freisin toisc go bhfuil sé deacair múinteoirí a fháil a bhfuil sé ar a chumas acu a bheith ag múineadh trí Ghaeilge i meánscoil. This is a huge issue for the Department and not enough is being done about it. Many small things are being done, but they are not enough. What is the exact status of teacher supply panels at primary level, in particular? Has the issue of teacher supply panels ever been considered in the context of gaelcoláistí? It might be a model that could work, although, obviously, it would be much more complicated at second level.

The biggest issue for the Department is demographics because the country faces a problem. There has been a massive increase in population on the east coast at the same time as the school population is supposed to stabilise and reduce at primary level. The Minister has a huge problem in that the demographics are pushing the requirement for new buildings in my constituency and nearby constituencies and areas in Cork and Galway. In other parts of the country difficult decisions about schools are being taken at local level. Does the Department have an overall vision?

I will say again because I have the opportunity to do so that I am disappointed with what is happening in Ashbourne. Since I last raised the issue in the Dáil, numerous parents have contacted me - I will meet some of them this week - to say they cannot find school places for their children. I was attacked in the local newspaper by the Minister's colleague, the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, for raising this issue, but these parents do not know what to do. They are being given a list of schools up to ten or 15 miles away, instead of in the local town. I have raised the issue multiple times and it shows up flaws in the forward planning-demographics section of the Department. If it cannot see that there is a problem in Ashbourne, where else are there problems in forward planning?

I am concerned about the purchase of sites and the Department becoming involved in commercial matters in general. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but the expertise of civil servants does not match that in the private sector. I am not saying there is anything wrong with them, but they do not have the expertise that is available in the private sector. I wonder whether we should have an outside agency to deal with land acquisition, in particular, for schools because it costs a huge amount of money. The Department does a fantastic job and the best it can. I know that the staff are so conscious of the budget, but the budget for sites is increasing all the time and the list of schools that do not have a permanent site is not reducing. This major issue needs to be dealt with.

On what we are teaching children, the teaching of history as a subject has cast a shadow over the Department of Education and Skills. Last week I had a meeting with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, and can confirm that if the Minister does not put history back as a core subject in the junior certificate syllabus, we will make a commitment that if we are in government, we will do so. I strongly encourage him to do this, regardless of the advice of the NCCA on it. It is an important statement to make that we value history, that it is an important subject and that it was a mistake to remove it as a core subject.

On the delegation of powers to Ministers of State, I note that there is no delegation order under the Technological Universities Act. Is there a reason for this? From the reply to a parliamentary question I tabled last week, it appears the Minister of State, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, does not have powers under the Act, that they are all with the Minister. Is that an oversight? Perhaps it is necessary.

The Minister of State, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, has raised the issue of apprenticeships. There is another Minister of State with responsibility for that issue. It would be better if apprenticeships were included as part of the higher and further education brief in order that the Minister of State, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, would have official responsibility for them. If we are really treating apprenticeships and higher education on the same quality scale, as we are, why are they being dealt with by two Ministers of State? The Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, deals with research and innovation in another Department. He also deals with the issue of school buses, which is an odd one to throw at a Minister of State because it means that he or she is busy for one part of the year. He also deals with apprenticeships which would fit much better in the brief of the Minister of State, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, although I am concerned she does not appear to have the necessary powers.

Another issue that is of crucial importance, one on which we have made a submission, is that of DEIS. There were some changes to the programme, but a full look at it has not been taken. I will be looking at it again in some detail. Special needs education accounts for a huge part of the budget, but we need to ensure the money is spent effectively in the best interests of children. There is also the issue of the National Educational Psychological Service.

I must now leave to go to the Dáil Chamber, but I will return. However, I may not be here in time to hear the replies.