Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I too thank Deputy Byrne for giving us the opportunity to debate this matter. I will be brief. It is unfair of Deputy Mattie McGrath to attack the teachers' unions. They have worked hard in recent months and years to achieve progress on this, and we will have a report on pay equalisation by the end of March. The Minister was able to magic up €40 million yesterday to start to resolve the pension issue. He will have to magic up an awful lot more millions to bring equality to our health system and, especially on his watch, our education system. Tá seans ann freisin, agus Bliain na Gaeilge againn, nach mbeidh múinteoirí ann chun an Ghaeilge a mhúineadh sna coláistí agus sna scoileanna sa bhliain atá ag teacht. Má leanann an tAire ar aghaidh ag seasamh ar ais, ní bheidh aon múinteoirí againn. Muna bhfuil airgead sa mhúinteoireacht, ní bheidh suim ag daoine sa ghairm seo. An é sin an bhealach is fearr chun Bliain na Gaeilge a cheiliúradh? The Minister was proud of his work on his Action Plan for Jobs in the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. We need action now in the Department of Education and Skills. The Minister can no longer continue to stick his head in the sand while every number is going against him and every statistic shows that the people we want, this year's leaving certificate class, are fleeing teaching because it is not considered as financially rewarding as so many other areas that could be dealt with without cost. The Minister showed that if there is interest on the part of the Minister, money can be found. Find the interest and the money will follow.

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