Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire agus an mBille, agus gabhaim comhghairdeas go háirithe leis an Aire agus le hUachtarán agus foireann Choláiste Phríomh-Scoile na Gaillimhe. Tá foireann an choláiste ag iarraidh an leasú seo a bhaint amach le blianta fada, agus is maith an rud é go bhfuil díospóireacht againn anois sa Seanad ar an mBille seo.

Gabhaim comhghairdeas agus buíochas freisin le roinn na Gaeilge san ollscoil i nGaillimh. Bíonn cúrsaí Gaeilge acu agus deirí seachtaine ar an Cheathrú Rua mar pháirt de na cúrsaí sin, agus tá a lán oibre déanta acu chun an Ghaeilge a fhorbairt. Tá sé an-tábhachtach freisin go mbeidh oideachas á chur ar fáil trí mheán na Gaeilge sa choláiste. Sin aidhm an phlean forbartha agus straitéisigh sa choláiste.

Tá a fhios agam go maith go bhfuil an-suim ag an gcoláiste i bhforbairt na Gaeilge, agus anois tá sé sa Bhille seo, agus beidh sé mar dhlí tar éis na díospóireachta sa Seanad agus sa Dáil. Tá súil agam go mbeidh an Bille seo tríd na Tithe go luath.

Like other speakers, I congratulate the Minister on her achievements in regard to funding for third level institutions. She mentioned a figure of €1.2 billion in terms of investment in the next five years. The emphasis in the budget on third and fourth level education is welcome and encouraging.

The substantive part of this Bill relates to appointments to any — I emphasise the word "any"— post in National University of Ireland, Galway. Heretofore, a most unusual situation pertained whereby, for any post in the university, preference was given to candidates with the ability to do their work through the medium of Irish. Consider, for example, where two candidates, A and B, are both qualified for a particular post but A is ranked ahead of B. In the event, however, that only B is competent to carry out the duties of the post through Irish, he or she, rather than A, would be recruited.

I welcome the university's president, Professor Ó Muircheartaigh, to the Visitors Gallery. I hope he does not mind me relating what he has said to me on a number of occasions, that if a Nobel prize winner were available for a position in the university but did not have competency in Irish, he or she could not be appointed. This seems wrong and unfair. As the Minister observed, court cases have arisen as a consequence of this, an undesirable situation that nobody would wish to continue.

Senator O'Toole is correct in his observations about inflexible instruments in regard to the recruitment of staff. It is amazing that having appointed a person to the university, he or she, under the present legislation, is not obliged to make any contribution to the provision of third level education through Irish. Under the Universities Act 1997, moreover, National University of Ireland, Galway, is required to make every effort to recruit the highest quality staff for every position. This could be in conflict with the university's obligation to give preference to candidates competent in Irish. The Minister addresses these issues in the Bill.

I very much welcome the Bill and hope it will pass quickly through the Houses. I am also glad to learn that the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív, will be involved in further discussions with the Minister for Education and Science on this matter. I hope there will be a positive outcome for National University of Ireland, Galway, both in terms of staffing and as a result of the new provision that each strategic development plan must facilitate the delivery of education through the medium of the Irish language.