Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)

——and to the economy of Gaeltacht mná tí from Donegal to Cork and Kerry who are depending on the boys and girls to generate income so that they can keep their families together and educate them in the years to come. It will also be a blow to tourism in the Gaeltacht. Most tourists visiting Gaeltacht areas in Donegal, Galway and elsewhere are the parents, guardians, uncles, aunts, grandfathers, grandmothers and other relatives of the pupils. The abolition is a treble-edged sword.

The second cutback was also vicious. For a number of years, we have brought teachers into our area because we had none of our own. They are young men and women who did not get into this country's training colleges. A former Aire oideachas is listening to me. Those people were trained in Northern Ireland and elsewhere in the UK. They came to Ireland and, before being recognised as fully fledged teachers, were obliged to do Irish oral and written examinations. The Department was generous, probably in the time of the former Minister, Deputy O'Rourke, and facilitated those people in spending two or three weeks in Gaeltacht areas. The Department gave them grants because they might not have had full-time jobs. This grant for unqualified teachers attending Irish courses in the Gaeltacht has not been reduced. Rather, it has been abolished. People are suffering.

Much has been stated on medical cards, but I will not comment because my good colleague beside me will have something to say. However, we are discussing health. I have been a Member for long enough to know that we all remember what health cuts do to the old, the sick and the poor. The mantra on the other side of the House is that the Department and the Health Service Executive have increased the health budget from £3 billion in 1997 to €16 billion in 2008. Considering the country's hospitals, clinics and surgeries, it is difficult to determine where progress has been made. Money has been poured in, but there are no visible results.

Last week, it was announced that Letterkenny General Hospital would close two orthopaedic wards from 25 October until further notice. What does this mean to those people, be they elderly or otherwise, who need hip or knee replacements and so on? This is the type of budget before us. There could be more and more of the same but, if the Government is responsible, we will support it.

Níor thagair mé don Ghaeltacht in aon chor. Tá gearraithe siar móra sa cháinaisnéis seo ar an nGaeltacht. Baineann na gearraithe ní hamháin leis an Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta, ach le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta freisin. An bhfuil na heagraíochtaí sin fós in ann fostaíochta, obair agus saothar a chur ar fáil do mhuintir na Gaeltachta? Tá súil agam go mbeidh deis agam níos mó tagairt a dhéanamh don Ghaeltacht an tseachtain seo chugainn nó an tseachtain ina dhiadh sin.

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