Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. There is a certain irony about the contributions made from all sides of the House which rightly have been defending the role, history and tradition of the VECs, as well as the massive contribution they have made to advancing the education system. This is because the teachers' union, the members of which receive their contracts from these same VECs, has decided to remain outside the Croke Park agreement which is meant to improve the lot of everyone.

There is a certain inevitability about this proposal. I remember a proposal being made in the 1990s to regionalise the VECs which was shot down in both Houses of the Oireachtas. I remember being united with many colleagues in the view that regionalisation was not the way forward. However, the mandarins in the Department of Education and Skills have finally got their way. The culture in the permanent Government - I do not know from where it came - is to centralise everything, do away with local democracy and ensure there will be less of a decision-making role for publicly elected representatives. As a result, over the last 20 years we have built an enormous number of non-elected, or quasi-elected, bodies, all of which have their own autonomy, and local democracy does not seem to count. This is another example of that.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills has inherited this proposal, which was in gestation even before her predecessor came into the Department. From discussions I have had with members of VECs throughout the country and of the Irish Vocational Education Association, it is clear this initiative has been lying in the files of Marlborough Street for decades. I would love to know who the people are who decided these things and if they feel they are in the best interests of the country and of the education of our young people.

I am a strong advocate of local democracy and I cannot understand why we in Ireland, who have such a strong tradition of democracy and democratic accountability, have separated ourselves from many of our European Union brethren. Denmark is a perfect example of democracy at its purest, where even the most local village has its own council. France is another example, where they have several tiers of local and regional government bringing democracy to the people and feeling more accountable.

I appreciate those who say it is ludicrous, administratively speaking, that a county like Leitrim, with five VEC schools and a total school population of around 1,500, should have its own administrative structure. The same could be said of Sligo, Longford or Roscommon. However, it is now proposed that Leitrim, Roscommon and Longford be amalgamated, which not only cuts across county boundaries but also across provincial boundaries. Those of us who have been in the political arena for a long time and have looked at various constituency reviews can testify that these amalgamations do not always work out. Senator Cummins cited an example. I am sure he and many of his colleagues in the south east are looking with some curiosity at the new configuration of south Tipperary and Waterford, although I know there is a certain relationship between the two.

I add my voice to the questions as to how these administrative structures will be set up. I am particularly interested in parents' representation. Parents' representatives are the only externally elected group on the current VECs. Teachers nominate their representatives through internal elections. Only parents' representatives have to go before the people - in this instance the electorate is made up of parents whose children are attending VEC schools - and put themselves forward. I did it. How will we ensure parents in the three counties of Leitrim, Longford and Roscommon are adequately represented? The schools will continue to operate. In my case, the geographical spread of the schools will make my work more challenging.

I will not re-echo the other questions on administrative structures but I hope the Tánaiste will come back to the House and at least give us a progress report on the discussions with the IVEA and other interested parties. If there is a gestation period of 18 months I would like to think we will not be presented with another fait accompli but will be given an open and transparent process so Members of the Oireachtas can have an input into these discussions and deliberations. It may not be practical to do that but it would be the right thing to do.

I am the third generation of my family to be involved in VECs, going back to my grandfather, Andrew Mooney, my father Joe Mooney and my mother. My five children all attended the vocational school in Drumshanbo and received an excellent education. I do not agree with the suggestion that VEC schools are a step-down, in terms of academic prowess, from other schools. For example, since the 1960s there was a clamour in Country Leitrim for a merger of the schools in Carrick-on-Shannon. It would have involved the vocational school, the Presentation Brothers school and the Marist convent, which became Marymount. By the time the decision was finally being taken in the 1990s, the parents were voting with their feet by sending their children to the vocational school and enrolment numbers there outnumbered Marymount by 2:1. The academic record of the vocational school was seen by parents to be superior to that offered in the other schools. I am not inventing this. Parents voted with their feet. It would seem obvious that the merger should have resulted in a community college under the VEC, but some people in the Department, led by Church authorities, decided that the Catholic ethos would be lost and that the VEC consisted of a bunch of ultra-left-wing communists who would dissipate and eliminate religion from a community college. That was the view. One may talk about people having a snobbish view of VECs but this was much more basic. It was a power struggle which in my opinion missed the point completely. The curriculum of a community college would not have been different but there would have been a difference in terms of public accountability. VECs are, in the main, made up of elected councillors and other elected people, and I believe in accountability at local level.

This is not a good day for vocational education. It is a sad day. As Senator Cummins said of the HSE, it might come back to haunt us.