Margaret Conlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I am delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to this debate on the Education (Amendment) Bill 2010, which comes on foot of announcements made relating to the amalgamation of VECs. It is something to be welcomed and it has been spoken about for many years. It is a unique issue in that there was broad agreement on all sides of the House and with the unions that something needed to happen in this regard and there was support for it.

I spoke to a parent this morning whose child attends a VEC school in my constituency. I mentioned that the proposed amalgamation had taken place and she said that it did not matter to her as her son was still going to a VEC school where the standard of education he got yesterday is no different from the standard today. There is an excellent standard of education in the school so parents are primarily concerned about that.

Part 2 of the Bill provides for the involvement of the VEC in the provision of primary education, which is to be welcomed. For over 80 years in this country the VECs have been shown to have a proven track record with experience in the management of second level schools. There are committees in the purest sense, with elected public representatives and representatives of all relevant stakeholders. From my experience I know the VECs operate an open, transparent and accountable model of corporate governance and are well placed to provide primary education either on their own initiative or on the direction of the Minister.

In my own county the VEC is under the stewardship of a visionary and dynamic CEO, Mr. Martin O'Brien, and it is leading the way in that we will have a multi-user complex on the site of the former Army barracks. It will be one of the first multi-user complexes in the country, with a primary gaelscoil, a second level gaelscoil and the Monaghan Institute of Further Education and Training. It is a unique project. When the Taoiseach made the announcement about the project last year he told the CEO that he had the responsibility to deliver it on time and under budget; the CEO has given a commitment that it is on time and on course.

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