Anthony Lawlor (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister. He has been a very progressive Minister since he took on the education portfolio and if he has done nothing else, he has stimulated debate on the whole education system. I was part of that system at one stage as I did the H.Dip and taught for a short period. I compliment Deputy Colreavy on raising the issue of bullying and on highlighting that it is a two-way process, because there are teachers being bullied and they and students must be equally protected.

I have some concern about educational disadvantage committee, the structures around it, its timeframe and the process we are now going through to remove it. This committee was established under the Education Act 1998. In 2000, former Member, Michael Finucane asked the then Minister when the committee would be established, yet it was not established until 2002. It reported in 2005 and its work finished then. I often wonder if the committee had been established shortly after the enactment of the Bill and had reported in 2000 or 2001 we would have the problems now associated with the DEIS schools, because many of the issues associated with DEIS schools had not arisen before the report of this committee was completed. My criticism is probably not a criticism of the Minister but it is a criticism of the permanent government, the Civil Service.

I suggest that when a Bill is being enacted we should ensure that any committee, report or whatever else is required to be done following the Act, is done as quickly as possible. We can see from the example of this committee how these issues are delayed. The budget was removed from the committee in 2008 but we are only now removing the committee from the provisions of the statute. I urge the Minister to act quickly in this kind of situation. When we decide to do something such as put a committee in place, we should do it quickly so that there are no legacy issues.

I applaud the Minister on the back for introducing the concept of flexibility in the Bill. The economy has changed so much over the past number of years that flexibility is now a key word. We talk about flexibility in the workforce, in the education system, in what we learn and in how we direct our younger generation towards what is important for their future and jobs. I met members of the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed yesterday and they were using the key word "flexibility" also. They understand that the workforce must change dramatically, and education has a huge part in that.

I have seen flexibility at first hand in the teaching profession. Last Monday, I visited a rural, DEIS primary school where a teacher was absent for a day and noted how quickly the principal was able to get a substitute teacher. There was a pool of teachers in the local area who could step in and take over at short notice. However, there is a problem with substitution in the secondary school system because teachers teach specific subjects. If those teachers are absent for a day, a substitute teacher is unlikely to be a teacher of the same subject and pupils lose out as a result. A teacher can be out for a week or two and it is possible that pupils are losing out on two weeks of education.

The Minister needs to consider the establishment of a pool of young teachers who have just qualified to cater for this kind of circumstance. I remember applying for many jobs after I qualified from NUI Maynooth in 1983. Many principals who were keen to take me on were concerned by my lack of experience. I could not get experience.

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