Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

Upskilling of the population and the workforce is stated as Government policy and it is a great pity this aspiration is not matched by policy decisions by Ministers. The Taoiseach frequently mentions in the House PayPal and its announcement of 1,000 jobs as being great news for the people of the north east, which it is, and it is very welcome. However, as the Taoiseach can see, its chief executive officer made a strong statement yesterday that she finds it extremely difficult to find local people with the necessary language skills to fill the jobs. There are reports today the company has to recruit more than 500 workers with language skills from overseas. The CEO said in a speech yesterday at the Louth economic forum that she continues to promote Ireland as a location for foreign direct investment but that it will have to address the languages problem.

It seems to me - and I have looked hard - that the only response the Government has taken to the language agenda in our schools is to scrap the one innovative modern language initiative that was introduced back in 1999, under which we now have more than 550 schools teaching four modern languages at primary school level. For some unknown reason and with no rationale, the Minister, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, decided to scrap that programme, which cost only €2 million a year. This flies exactly in the face of what the CEO of PayPal is saying. It goes to the heart of a Government that exercises itself more on spin than on substance that many of its decisions fly totally in the face of any logic or rationale, particularly in the context of this issue.

It is interesting, for example, that across the water our competitors in the United Kingdom have decided to launch a new curriculum in primary schools which makes languages compulsory from the age of seven. The British Labour Party had got rid of its compulsory programme for children under 14 and the result was a 32% reduction in the number of children who took languages in secondary school.

Does the Government have a plan to address the different language requirements of foreign direct investors and of indigenous companies that export overseas? Will it reverse the decision to scrap the modern languages initiative?

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