Joe O'Toole (Independent)

Ar an lá deireannach, bhíos ag éisteacht leis an díospóireacht sa Teach eile mar gheall ar ráitis i nGaoluinn, agus ní dóigh liom gur chualas aon ráiteas a bhí chomh holc sin ó aon Aire Gaeltachta le blianta anuas. Ní raibh fiú féin script aige. Ní raibh moltaí aige, agus bhí daoine den scoth from the Opposition os a chomhair amach, daoine ar nós an Teachta O'Dowd, an Teachta Joe Higgins agus an Teachta O'Shea; daoine a bhfuil suim acu sa Ghaoluinn agus a bhí in ann í a phlé. Níor chuala mé díospóireacht ariamh a bhí chomh holc leis an méid a bhíá rá ag an Aire.

Tá mé ag féachaint anseo ar Department of the Taoiseach: Action Programme for the Millennium. I congratulate Senator Ormonde on a spirited defence of her Government, since that is what she is there to do. Caithfidh mé a rá nach n-aontóinn léi i ngach rud a dúirt sí, áfach. Cuirfear plean náisiúnta don réamhscolaíocht agus don Ghaelscolaíocht le chéile. That has not been done. Cuirfear coiste náisiúnta comhordaithe ar bun. That has been done. The last thing that I wish to talk about is: cuirfear lár-ionad acmhainní ar bun chun áiseanna cearta oideachasúla a chur ar fáil le haghaidh fhoghlaimeoirí na teanga. Níor deineadh é sin. I 1999, nuair a bhí an Teachta Ó Máirtín ina Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíochta, mhol sé don Rialtas go mbeadh lár-ionad oideachas Gaoluinne náisiúnta lonnaithe i mBaile Bhúirne i gContae Chorcaí. That was the proposal, straight and simple. Ghlac an Rialtas lena mholadh, agus chuireadar airgead ar fáil an bhliain sin ó the capital programme. Níor tharla aon rud, agus níl fhios agam cén fáth.

Ina dhiaidh sin, tháinig an Teachta Woods isteach mar Aire. Chuaigh sé go Baile Bhúirne le chéile le hArd-Rúnaí na Roinne Oideachais agus Eolaíochta, agus chas sé an fód ar an rud seo. Níor tharla aon rud ina dhiaidh sin. The next Minister was Deputy Dempsey. Bhí sé go mór i bhfabhar chomh maith. Nothing happened. Anois, tá an tAire, an Teachta Hanafin, politician of the year, i bhfeighil an ruda seo. Tá an-jab á dhéanamh aici, agus tá mé cinnte go bhfuil sí báúil don teanga, something that I would not take from her, ach níor tharla aon rud.

The Opposition may have differing opinions on the points made by Senator Burke, but he has pointed out flaws in the system. Dhá scór bliain ó shin, agus mé ag freastal ar scoil na mBráithre Críostaí i nDaingean Uí Chúis, as it is correctly called, An Daingean as the Minister calls it, or Dingle Uí Chúis, as others call it, bhíos ag foghlaim mo chuid Laidine trí Ghaoluinn as téacsleabhar Béarla. It was natural and normal at the time, and we did not pay much attention to it, but it is utterly unacceptable that 40 years later the same thing is still happening. I will say this in English lest there be any doubt among those listening. My colleagues in the Gaeltacht who teach in primary schools — the same happens in post-primary schools — have been crying out for an Irish textbook of the standard that those in the rest of the country would expect of an English textbook. No aspect of the geography curriculum in primary or post-primary schools is available i nGaoluinn.

There are other examples. The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs is more interested in picking a fight with the people of the Gaeltacht by taking away their right to determine the names of where they live than what children learn in school. He is far more interested in what is written on a signpost or in ensuring that the NRA and other semi-State companies unnecessarily spend huge amounts producing hard copies of glossy, pictorial versions of their annual reports, a total waste of money. In the meantime, what was proposed for Baile Bhúirne would have produced, from day one, téacsanna agus leathanaigh Idirlíne as Gaoluinn and all sorts of information technology material trí Ghaoluinn to be used on the day by schools around the country looking for such texts.

People correctly stress the importance of gaelscoileanna and have lauded their achievements, but I visited every Gaeltacht school in west Kerry and in south Connemara a couple of years ago and did not find one classroom where every child had Gaoluinn ón chliabhán. In every class, there were a few. I was in foinse na Gaoluinne, i nDún Chaoin, agus bhí leanaí sa scoil sin, naíonáin shóisear a bhí tagtha ó Londain, ón Spáinn agus ón Ghearmáin, but those teachers are still trying to inculcate the Irish language without the support of textbooks, and that is completely and utterly wrong. The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs should be taken to the real world, where such things are necessities.

The Fine Gael argument is correct, even if it does not mean that the contents of the Fianna Fáil amendment are untrue. The things that it leaves out are the problem.

Why have we not established the centre in Baile Bhúirne? People are opposed to it, but in the past week I have spoken to Údarás na Gaeltachta, and it is favour. I have spoken to An Roinn Gnóthaí Tuaithe, Pobail agus Gaeltachta, and it is in favour, as is Foras na Gaeilge. All the main players are in favour. The Department of Education and Science is in ainm a bheith i bhfabhar. Cén fáth nach bhfuil sé tarlaithe? It is because somebody is blocking it somewhere, perhaps because it is too far from Dublin.