Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire, agus tacaím leis an Bhille atá os ár gcomhair. Before I refer to the Bill, it is appropriate I acknowledge the Minister's recent contribution to third level in the context of the budget. She will be aware that on many occasions in this House, and I am sure in the other House, the question of the lack of funding for third level institutions was often discussed and requests were made in this regard. I commend the Minister for taking action at the first opportunity available to her to ensure third level institutions got their fair share of resources.

I read the 1929 Act which provided that somewhere in the region of £12,000 would be provided by way of grant to University College Galway. It was to be increased to £28,000 by 1930 and further increased by increments of £2,000 per annum. Set against the current situation, namely, the allocation of €1.5 billion which the Minister has made available, it puts the commitment to third level in perspective. I welcome that very much.

In her introduction the Minister referred to the unique contribution of University College Galway through its support and commitment to the Irish language. There is no doubt about that. In the past people in certain sections of the college may have been over zealous in the way they presented this, which might not always have been acceptable to the general body of staff or students. The Minister acknowledged that many fine people who applied for positions in the past were rejected because they did not have sufficient competency in Irish to carry out their work.

I was a student there in the mid-1960s. We were not a group that was inclined to protest loudly or organise in any way but one fact which I very much regretted was that a certain professor had a requirement to the effect that honours geography at degree level must be done solely through Irish. There was no alternative way of doing this subject. Due to the professor's origins and what he had been through he wanted to make a statement and this was how it manifested itself. I believe this approach was unfair but that is over and done with now. The approach has changed in the intervening period through the protests of organised student bodies and certain staff who realised the unfairness of the stance that was taken in that instance.

The president and the governing authority of the college have sought this amendment to the 1929 Act for the past three years. The case was presented on numerous occasions to the Minister of the day but it was never taken up. I welcome the fact that the Minister, Deputy Hanafin, has agreed to amend this Act. Section 3 of the 1929 Act was a very blunt instrument which stated:

It shall be the duty of the Senate of the National University of Ireland, the Governing Body of the College, or the President of the College (as the case may be), when making an appointment to any office or situation in the College, to appoint to such office or situation a person who is competent to discharge the duties thereof through the medium of the Irish language: provided a person so competent and also suitable in all other respects is to be found amongst the persons who are candidates or otherwise available for such appointment.

I am glad the Minister has decided to eliminate that obligation. The explanatory memorandum states:

The purpose of the Bill is to amend section 3 of the University College Galway, Act, 1929 to provide that the governing authority of the University College Galway must ensure that each strategic development plan of the University contains a provision for the delivery of education through the medium of Irish and that the President and the governing authority of the University are obliged to ensure that this aim is implemented.

People who might doubt the commitment of the college because of the elimination of section 3 of the original Act can be reassured by the contents of the Bill that no diminution in commitment to the Irish language is included. The strategic plan in itself obliges the college authorities to ensure that everything possible can be done in this regard. The main problem in the past is that section 3 of the 1929 Act was strictly interpreted as a recruitment policy. In most cases following recruitment there was no obligation to provide tuition or carry out any part of the work trí Ghaeilge. The proposed new section provides an opportunity and a guarantee that at all times the college will do everything it can to ensure the Irish language will have a prominent place in its activities.

Credit must be given to the president, Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh, and the governing authority. In recent years not only are they promoting Irish on-site but they have also indicated their commitment to the Gaeltacht by, as the Minister stated, bringing certain appropriate sections such as research into biochemistry and other disciplines into Carna and other Gaeltacht areas. In the past, Professor Lavelle, brought people on day trips to the Gaeltacht. It was always a highlight of the year because he had a particular stopping point during the day for refreshments. Everybody who went on these trips used Irish for the day. That was the first instance of the college going into the Gaeltacht area and using Irish in that context. At the time this may have appeared an insignificant gesture towards the Irish language but it was very important in the lives of students. I am pleased this commitment will continue on a more formalised basis. Research centres are now located in Gaeltacht areas and Irish is the language of instruction in that environment.

This decision on the promotion of the Irish language is part of the strategic plan up to 2008. It clearly indicates a unanimous agreement by the governing authority of the college to promote the Irish language and eliminate section 3 of the 1929 Act. The Minister is well aware that it is rare to have unanimous agreement in any third level institution where people have various objectives and obligations. More often than not such decisions lead to division among academics with the result that many good decisions are often cast aside.

The Bill is positive and forward looking. I hope that as a result of it a bright future will be opened up for the Irish language and the college. The Minister acknowledged the uniqueness of University College Galway in terms of its disadvantaged location. She pointed out that through the tremendous efforts of its presidents and governing authorities the college has successfully challenged for finance and research personnel to make it one of the best research centres in Europe. Their work has to be acknowledged. The resources that the Minister has committed can further enhance that and will hopefully lead to the further development of the university college. As a result of the introduction of free education, the college's student body has increased rapidly, from 1,800 in the mid-1960s to several thousand students.

I regret the attitude expressed in the inappropriate statement by the Minister for State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Treacy, nuair a bhí sé sa Bhruiséil an tseachtain seo caite. While at a function in Europe, he attacked the suggestions made by Deputy Kenny on the future of the Irish language. Most fair minded people will judge for themselves the appropriateness of the Minister of State's statement, which included the following comment:

It is with great disappointment and sadness that I listened to Deputy Enda Kenny, leader of Fine Gael, our main Opposition party, suggesting the downgrading of the Irish language in Ireland, at a time when we have just secured its upgrading on a European level. It has been a strong policy on the part of Fianna Fáil to encourage the revival and ongoing life of the Irish language amongst Irish citizens.

I cannot over-emphasise the inappropriate manner in which the Minister of State put this on the record by speaking at a remove from this country and the verve with which he addressed his remarks to a selective group. He continued:

The language is the core of our heritage and we cannot allow it to be cast aside within the educational system in such a manner. Such a cheap political shot is intolerable and, frankly, unacceptable to the vast majority of a culturally aware electorate.

A statement of that sort does nothing to promote the Irish language. In order to provide balance——