Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State's response and appreciate his offer to work with me in addressing my concerns. I look forward to working with him on the matter.

On a broader level, the single biggest sickness in the country in the past 20 years has been the increase in bureaucracy and red tape. It will be difficult to grasp this nettle. We need to change to a culture in which efficiency and providing a response for the public will be priorities. In the first 12 months of the Government Ministers have gone about their business in a very efficient and proactive way. However, we must now tackle the bureaucracy and red tape that are holding back people in business and preventing decisions being taken in a reasonable period of time. This challenge faces both Opposition and Government Deputies. I do not speak specifically about the Teaching Council; I am talking in general terms. The single biggest challenge for the Dáil is to tackle the sickness of bureaucracy and red tape. That responsibility rests on people on both the Opposition and Government sides of the House.

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