Rónán Mullen (Independent)

Tacaím leis an méid adúirt an Seanadóir Labhrás Ó Murchú. Tá sé an-tábhachtach go mbeadh díospóireacht againn sa Teach maidir le coicís na Gaeilge. Tá go leor le plé againn agus tá gá le cinnireacht uainn ar aon nós. Ba mhaith liom go háirithe go ndéanfaimid plé ar Raidió na Gaeltachta agus an gearradh siar ar chraoladh an aifrinn seachtainiúil. Ní bhfuaireamar aon scéal ar ais go fóill maidir le sin. Ní maith liom na ráflaí a chloisim ach oiread maidir le go mb'fhéidir go mbeidh malgamú idir an Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta agus an Roinn Ealaíon, Spóirt agus Turasóireachta. Níor mhaith liom é sin. I would not like to see the loss of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, which rumours suggest will occur.

The Union of Students in Ireland, USI, and its president, Peter Mannion, are to be commended on keeping the issue of education, especially the needs of students who are being hard hit, on the agenda. The politician-friendly booklet made available by the USI this morning makes a number of significant points, not least of which is the fact that our current system for processing grant applications is anachronistic. For example, it is remarkable that students must fill out a 26-page form that sometimes requires 20 pieces of supporting documentation and this cannot be done on-line. It is remarkable.

The Minister has decided that new applicants for the back to education allowance will be ineligible for the grant. This raises issues of legitimate expectation. Are new applicants people who are already within the system or are they people who are applying to attend college for the first time? When one considers the sacrifices made by mature students in returning to education, those who are in the halfway place between working life and studying life, it is important that they not be compromised given the importance of getting people into education in a bid to deal with our problems.

I wish to raise the issue of head shops. We have a troubling new reality among us. Not only are manipulative and predatory people running these shops, they are also supposedly running delivery services for their mind-altering substances in the most dishonest way.