Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for his reply but the figures he read out indicate that there is a natural reduction in expenditure per capita on adult literacy. We know from the 1997 OECD survey that 25% of the population is at the lowest literacy level. The Government has indicated that there has been an improvement in the relevant figure. It now claims that a reduced number of people — between 10% and 15% of those between the ages of 16 and 64 — are at the lowest literacy level. How do we know we are making progress? How can we be sure the figure has been reduced to between 10% and 15%? There has been no national evaluation of interventions aimed at improving literacy levels. In the absence of measurable indicators, how does the Minister of State know we are on course to achieve any of our goals? The measurement of progress was not recommended in the White Paper of 2000 or in the national development plan. How, therefore, can we know what has been achieved?

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