Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support what has been said by my colleague, Senator Ó Clochartaigh, on the sale of Siteserv by IBRC. This matter has clearly been rumbling around the halls of Leinster House, and around many other halls, for a long time. There is something just not right about the matter. It is time for a full, open and independent inquiry into the matter. I would be obliged if the Leader would bring the proposal to the relevant Ministers.

I raise the matter of inservice training for English teachers in the proposed new junior certificate syllabus provided by the Department of Education and Skills. What is going on with it? I suggest we ask the Minister to attend the House to give an explanation. We lay on an inservice training course for 6,000 teachers knowing that they have been instructed by their unions not to attend. There is an industrial relations dispute going on. Instead of trying to resolve it, we have set up training and sent trainers to various education centres throughout the country even though we know, before we start, that no one will attend. My information this morning is that of the 6,000 teachers who were to engage in inservice training at the various education centres, 20 have undergone training.