Brendan Ryan (Labour)

Cuirfidh sé seo díomá ar an Teach. Más gá le duine déileáil leis an chuid den Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta a láimhseálann scoláireachtaí do dhaoine óga ó ghaelscoileanna agus ó na Gaeltachtaí, faigheann sé comhfhreagras uathu as Gaoluinn amháin. Nuair a ghlaonn duine ar an ionad ina ndéantar an obair sin, áfach, is é an chéad rud dá dtarlaíonn ná go ndeireann duine éigin, "I'm sorry, I would prefer to do this with you through English. My Irish isn't that good". Tá comhfhreagras á chur amach ón Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta i nGaoluinn amháin in ainneoin nach mbíonn daoine ábalta comhrá a bheith acu sa teanga. Is é an t-aon fháth go bhfuaireas é sin amach ná gur cheapas gur chóir dom déileáil leo as Gaoluinn. I thought I should speak to these people through Irish since they wrote to me in Irish but they said they were sorry and could not do their business through Irish. Níl ach trí fán gcéad de na daoine atá ag obair sa Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta ábalta gnó a dheanamh trí Ghaeilge.

Let us make up our minds. Senator O'Toole and I disagree occasionally about details on this subject. The use of resources to support our language is entirely lacking in any sense of strategy or priority. It should be automatic that if one telephones the Department of Education and Science to deal with anything to do with the Irish language or supports for it, those on the receiving end of such calls should be able to do business through Irish. Otherwise, it is an exercise in the most extraordinary, institutionalised hypocrisy, although I am reluctant to use such a term. Such supports are long overdue.

A report by a study group appeared in yesterday's newspapers to the effect that 70% of all poultry used in the catering industry comes from outside Ireland and outside the European Union. The report was not too precise as to how much of it emanates from outside the EU but the statistic is an extraordinary one. This has nothing to do with economic nationalism but how can people have any confidence in the quality and safety of such a universal food product if it is coming from outside the EU in particular? It is an extraordinary situation. Yesterday, we had a good debate on the future of agriculture and related matters. If, by dint of poor standards, protection or labelling, we are allowing people to be fed in large quantities with poultry from outside the country without any indication to the consumer, we might as well forget about what we are supposed to be doing.

I ask the Leader to arrange for a debate on the Middle East where the most extraordinary things are happening. This morning, I read a statement from Hamas which is a long way from the rhetoric of that organisation six months ago in terms of what it wishes to do. It would be a great tragedy if the changes that have occurred in Israel, including the changes in the occupied territories, were to be allowed to turn into a stalemate in which chaos developed.

If the West abandons Hamas, others will provide the resources to sustain it. It will not simply collapse because other people will happily come in to sustain it. I want to hear our Government's views on the situation. I hope those views will be more far-sighted than those of the European Union because we need to develop some subtlety in this respect. The simple-minded repetition of phrases such as "recognise Israel and abandon violence" is too simplistic in a complicated situation where Hamas sees the Israelis as aggressors.