Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I wrote a letter to the Minister this week with a PS which contains a tongue-in-cheek story of a recent experience. By the way, I must point out that the Minister's officials are always helpful and pleasant to deal with. This is not a personal criticism as the fault is in the system.

Ba mhaith liom a rá chomh maith go raibh rud ar an gclár inné that was mentioned by Senators Norris and Ormonde and me. It has come to our attention that the Dublin Institute of Technology, the largest third level institution in the country with 21,000 students, does not have access to the Irish Research eLibrary, IReL. The biggest third level institution is being kept out of the club by the universities. This is wrong and I ask the Minister to investigate. I do not have time to develop this point today.

Ba mhaith liom caint mar gheall ar rud eile atá pléite eadrainn cheana féin. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil deacrachtaí éagsúla eadrainn mar gheall ar an tumoideachais. Ba mhaith liom cúpla rud beag a rá ar an ábhar sin. Tuigim cás an Aire ar an gceist seo. Nílim ag rá nach bhfuil aon merit ann — tá. Teastaíonn uaim an rud atá ar siúl againn ó thaobh na Ghaeilge de a mhiniú. I do not fall off the chair on this. Ní amháin go bhfuil aidhm oideachais i gceist — tá aidhmeanna polaitiúla agus cultúrtha i gceist freisin. In that regard, certain compromises have to be made. Tuigim an argóint atá a dhéanamh ag an Aire — gur chóir go mbeadh balance i gcuraclam na scoile. I agree, and I have fought for that all my life. That is why I have sympathy for the Minister's position. Ar an dtaobh eile den scéal, tá na scoileanna seo ag iarraidh cuir i gcoinne an chultúr Béarla as a dtáinig na leanaí. They are trying to achieve a balance with the previous lives of the children. To that extent, tá sé an intinn ag na scoileanna go mbeadh na páistí tumtha agus sáite sa Ghaeilge ar feadh cúpla bliain, agus ansin tugtha thar n-ais go dtí an ghnáth-curaclam. Braithim go bhfuil an-argóint acu agus táim ar aon taobh leo. As the Minister knows, I have spent most of my life ag cogadh agus in full warfare leis na heagraisí Ghaeilge, ach an t-am seo caithfidh mé a rá go dtuigim an méid ata ar siúl acu and I agree with it.

We will have a debate here on the budget. I would like to hear the Minister's expectations of the Government with regard to simple things such as doubling the capitation grant for primary schools. There are children here today who are working hard with their teachers and boards of management. Can they bring back the news that they heard from the Minister for Education and Science that the primary school capitation grant will be doubled, as was indicated if not promised by the Minister in her speech at the Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis earlier in the year? We will park the issue of class sizes until that day comes.

What is happening with the school building fund? Tracking a school building project is like finding one's way around a maze. My office is like a crime scene investigation at the moment. For example, a school received permission in 1998 for a building project and received another letter in 1999, but the project was moved from one section to another and the school must go on a new priority list every year. It is not working out in that sense.

When will we see the investment in information and communications technology in primary schools and in post-primary schools which was promised in the budget and which is on the Minister's plan? As as far as I am aware, and I would be happy to be corrected on this, the money for it has not been put in place.

As we do not often get a chance to talk about the school curriculum because we are always in the trenches and at war, I want to look at it generally. If I could take over this island for a short period, I would rewrite the school curriculum.