Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

While I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, it is regrettable that the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Dempsey, is not here. For the second week running we have statements on education, yet the Minister is not present to hear them.

By any standards, the OECD figures demonstrate that Irish students have performed very well within our education system. Such a study can only provide an indication of the situation pertaining, at a glance, within OECD countries as a whole. The indicators, however, can provide a detailed view of the many aspects of Irish education that still need to be corrected. The dedication and commitment of the teaching profession at primary, secondary and tertiary level have led to high standards of attainment among students. I am glad the Minister of State acknowledged that fact in his speech. The teachers' dedication and commitment, leading to high standards in certain areas of educational endeavour, have continued despite a lack of support from successive Ministers for Education, particularly in the good times.