Ciarán Cannon (Progressive Democrats)

I support the call for the Minister to come in to have that debate.

The second issue I wish to raise is the issue of the Government's proposed early childhood services, one of the most welcome developments of the recent budget. I spoke to a gentleman yesterday who, because he had a passion for teaching, quit his job at 35 or 36 years of age and returned to college for three years to become a primary school teacher. He looked forward to contributing to the education of children in his area, but now he finds himself without a job. At the end of this term a new group of teachers will graduate from educational colleges around the country, but they will have no jobs to go to.

Last December, UNICEF conducted an international report on early childhood services which set out ten minimum standards that outlined the rights of children to proper early childhood and early educational services. Much to its shame, Ireland complied with only one of those minimum standards. We have a cohort of well qualified teachers who are now on social welfare. The man I spoke to suggested that rather than stare at the four walls of his house each day, he would be willing to begin that service to enhance educational services across the board, for little or no money other than what he gets on social welfare. That kind of willingness to get us out of the mess in which we find ourselves exists among certain sectors of the population. Will the Leader arrange a debate on this to see whether there is an innovative way to use this cohort of unemployed teachers to improve the education system for our children?