Derek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

I will refer to the Minister, Deputy Quinn, in his absence. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. I wish to address some of the issues that are important to me. The Minister has a task relative to the content of the first document in the State, which is the Proclamation by the leaders of 1916. As Members are aware, they all came from different backgrounds, creeds, ideologies and life experiences. The first line of the third paragraph of the Proclamation declares that the Irish people have a right to the ownership of Ireland. That was nearly lost by the actions of the previous Government with the support of Sinn Féin, when one takes banking issues into account.

Today's debate is on education and I wish to place on record my support for the Government's policy on education and the Minister's stewardship. I record my admiration for the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, and the Minister, Deputy Quinn, and the manner in which they addressed the issues of SNAs and DEIS schools. The people were directly addressed, their views were listened to and taken into account. The Minister was prepared to review the situation and to change his mind. Far from being a weakness, that is a great strength in a human being. I welcome that all teachers must be registered and that supervision and standards in education must be adhered to. The Bill is a significant step towards achieving these aims, particularly during times of difficult economic circumstances.

The House, the Government and the Minister are rightly motivated by the well being of children, their education and their cultural, social and spiritual needs. Through the Minister and his Department, we hand over responsibility to the thousands of teachers in our system at preschool, primary, secondary, adult and tertiary level. Almost 1 million children and students are in full-time formal education, accounting for 23% of the population. The Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, and the Minister, Deputy Quinn, face the difficulty of making provision for a further 70,000 children. Our economic crisis, which saw the previous Government put our independence in peril, will only result in success if our education system can meet the demands of society, the expectations of individuals and the needs of industry.

There is a little cynicism about the previous Government's performance in education because all it did was throw money at the sector. However, a great deal of evidence shows there was minimal long-term strategic planning. When the current Minister, the Minister of State and other Ministers travel to other countries for the St. Patrick's Day celebrations, they will formally and informally meet hundreds of Irish people who have moved abroad and set up homes and families and will be celebrating their Irishness. Many of the people living outside Ireland would love to return to home for one reason, namely, our education system. The pride we all feel in it is directly linked to teachers.

The Minister knows that we have problems in the education field. He inherited them. A major problem in the system and in society at large is that of literacy. This issue is close to my heart, having spent a number of years as director of a voluntary adult literacy group. A long time ago, a man told me that I needed to take into account what it was like for him as a father and neighbour to walk into a post office and not be able to find his way about, be it filling out a postal order or sending registered mail. I appeal to the Minister of State to examine this issue and to determine what plans can be implemented to address this major problem.

Last year, I raised with the Minister an issue that was causing difficulty for many parents, namely, school principals writing to families requiring them to make voluntary contributions. Added to this is the expense of books, photocopying, uniforms etc.

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