Brendan Ryan (Labour)

Tá sé maith dúinn é a fhágáil faoi mhuintir na Gaeltachta conas mar a theastaíonn uathu ainmneacha a oireann dóibh a chur ar chomharthaí bóithre. Bhí feachtas mór gníomhach éifeachtach 25 bliain ó shin le nach mbeadh comharthaí bóithre sna Gaeltachtaí ach amháin i dteanga an phobail.

It would be grossly offensive to give English names to certain townlands in the Gaeltacht. Such names have never been used by the people in those areas or anybody else and could only be transliterations. I know a townland in west Kerry called An Ghráig, which some have attempted to translate as Graigue but nobody, in either the Galltacht or Gaeltacht, would know where people meant by that name. Those who do not feel comfortable with the position in the Gaeltachtaí should confine themselves to their own places. B'fhéidir gur chóir do dhaoine éisteacht le heagraíocht nua dár teideal Todhchaí na Gaeltachta atá spreagtha as an chinneadh a rinne pobal An Daingin go dlíthiúil agus go daonlathach. Tá sé spreagtha chomh maith as rudaí eile a bhaineann leis na Gaeltachtaí, agus ba chóir dúinn na ceisteanna seo a fhágáil dóibh in ionad Béarla a bhrú ar dhaoine sna Gaeltachtaí a bhí thar a bheith sásta nuair a athraíodh na comharthaí bóithre 25 bliain ó shin. Ní gá iad a athrú.

Perhaps in the new year we could debate something that turns up every time a praiseach is made of something in the public sector, that is, what is called a systems failure. A systems failure usually means somebody did not anticipate something might happen. I am a reasonably inadequate engineer but I teach young people who, I hope, become far better engineers than me. These young people are only a month in the place when we teach them that for everything they do and every decision they make as an engineer, their first task is to examine the consequences it will have elsewhere. Otherwise, one is not worth one's salt as an engineer.

I have heard that a systems failure caused Dublin's traffic to grind to a halt for seven and a half hours, a systems failure cost the State €2 billion and a systems failure resulted in the appalling situation in Leas Cross. Whatever problem arises, it is due to a systems failure. I am sick of systems failures. A person is paid to manage each of those systems and his or her first job is to ensure the system works. If that person does not do that, he or she is not fit to do the job. Instead of hearing the perpetual whinge about ordinary working people in the public service, such as nurses, doctors, teachers and so forth, could we debate how the performance of managers in the public sector is managed?

These managers are very keen on performance appraisals for their subordinates. They are full of rigmarole and spend a large amount of taxpayers' money, hopefully usefully. However, nobody can tell me how the performance of a senior manager in the Department of Finance or that of a county manager is appraised, even though they all get bonuses for doing a great job. Can we have a debate, after the holidays, on how managers in the public sector are appraised? I do not know how their appraisal is carried out but I am sick of hearing the excuse of systems failure. It is only a way of avoiding the fact that each incident represents a management failure.