Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

I appreciate the Minister does not have an input in the design of the junior certificate but his intervention with regard to the need to include some road safety training in the junior certificate programme could be critical. A few years ago I visited a secondary school in my county.

The teacher told me she had a group of boys in the class whom she could keep engaged only by promising that if they were quiet and participated in class she would take them out afterwards and show them the engine in her new car. There is an interest in the mechanics of the car, among boys in particular, although I do not exclude the female student population. We should harness this positivity. We should look at what is happening in Finland, in that country's education process, whether it is the use of simulators, having self-evaluation or even bringing driving instructors into schools. We can tease out the details but I welcome that the Minister is exploring the idea of incorporating this into the junior certificate. I look forward to his work with the Minister for Education and Skills.

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