Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I neglected to welcome our new Leader back yesterday. He has not taken umbrage in regard to that, but I wish to put my welcome on the record now.

There are many people whose last day in the Seanad this is. However, on behalf of the Independent Members I would like to say a special thanks to our colleague, Senator Mary Henry, who has been a Trojan worker in all aspects of her work while she has been here, and to wish her well in the next portion of her active political life.

On today's business, a variety of issues in terms of the direction in which Ireland is moving need to be discussed. One such issue that I have raised many times on the Order of Business concerns cúrsaí mhuintir na Gaeltachta sa tír seo. Bhíos ag éisteacht ar maidin leis an Aire, an Teachta Ó Cuív, ag caint mar gheall ar an chaighdeán Gaoluinne i measc Ghaeltachtaí na tíre, agus chuaigh sé timpeall ar na naíonraí sna Gaeltachtaí, agus cé chomh tábhachtach agus a bhí siad. Bhí an ceart aige. Níl dabht ar domhan ach go bhfuil an-dul chun cinn déanta ag na réamhscoileanna Gaoluinne — those pre-schools — atá ann chun tosnú a thabhairt na teanga do leanaí óga a thosóidís sna gnáthbhunscoileanna murach iad. It drives me to distraction that the Minister with responsibility in this area has this morning washed his hands in regard the issue of Dingle-Daingean Uí Chúis. He has told us that it not his business, that it is being dealt with by Deputy Jackie Healy-Rae, the Taoiseach and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. After creating the chaos and the mess, he walked away from it, but it is better late than never.

I have gone to every Gaeltacht school over the past 15 years. In every single one of them there are children with Spanish names, children whose families have returned from England, or whose families are strainséirí in the area, who are completely committed to the Irish language and want to learn it but do not have it in the house. The reason I mention that is that in those areas which are ceartlár na nGaeltachtaí, foinse na Gaeilge, the well of the Irish language, there is not the same level of support as there is for Gaelscoileanna in the Galltacht. Every time I make this point I get a sheaf of letters asking why I am opposed to Gaelscoileanna. I am not. However, it seems daft that in the Gaeltacht they require more students in order to appoint a teacher than in the Gaelscoileanna. It never made sense, but in the context of what the Minister with responsibility for Gaeltacht affairs has told us this morning, that there is a huge proportion of leanaí sna scoileanna Gaeltachta who do not have Irish coming into the school, if we are to restore the Irish language, let us be practical about it. I hope to be back here to have a long-term discussion leis an Aire faoi pholasaí sna Gaeltachtaí chun dul chun cinn, infheistiú agus infrastructúr a chur ar bun and much more in terms of involving ourselves in developing the Gaeltacht where people can live their lives through Irish and in Irish.