Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

What is presented on the Order of Business is not what was agreed, which was to take Second Stage of the University College Galway (Amendment) Bill 2005 before it would be referred to committee. The Order Paper now contains section 2, which is to insert in page 3 the fact that sections 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 of the Teaching Council Act 2001 are to be included as part of the debate on the University College Galway (Amendment) Bill. Will the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources explain what this is about, and why it is not possible that we should have a discussion in the House about the Teaching Council Act, which relates to the professional training of teachers, their development and the promotion of facilities for them? I do not consider it appropriate for this to be lumped in with an amendment to the 1929 Act dealing with the issue of the Irish language which was compulsory for professorships in NUIG. That compulsion has now been removed because of the proposal by the university to have a strategic development plan for Irish, of which all future development plans would have to take cognisance.

I object to a fundamental matter like the Teaching Council Act 2001 being inserted by stealth into the University College Galway (Amendment) Bill. Ample time should be provided for a discussion on the issue of education, including the Teaching Council, because the perception in this country is that all is lovey-dovey in the Department of Education and Science with our esteemed Minister when, in fact, the situation is quite the opposite in a number of areas. This House should have an opportunity to discuss the amendments to the Teaching Council Act as a separate entity because the quality of our teachers is fundamental to the future of the country, and we should discuss the quality of their training, the resources that are made available to them and the impact of that on the system of education. I would like to know why this is being inserted now.

See this speech in context