Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

As the preparations for the State examinations come around again, students, parents and teachers are concerned that the Department of Education and Science does not have sufficient examiners to conduct the oral Irish examinations. The shortfall in numbers has never been as great as this year. This is a consequence of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Dempsey's, continuous confrontational attitude towards the teaching profession since he took office. It behoves the Minister to issue some supportive comments regarding the teaching profession so that proper oral examinations can be put in place in time. It is a serious situation because uncertainty is creeping in again directly as a result of the Minister's actions.