Pádraig Ó Céidigh (Independent) | Oireachtas source

In relation to pay levels in three areas, will the Leader obtain some information on the Government's strategy and plans? The main focus is on teachers' pay. It is like a train that is going to crash. There is a significant requirement for teachers, yet people are not entering the profession. The thought struck me a few days ago that 25 years ago I was a teacher in a secondary school in Galway when I was on twice the starting salary teachers are on today. There is something seriously and fundamentally wrong. We have to address that issue as teachers are a key aspect in the context of our future.

The other area to be considered is health care. We have a significant issue in attracting nurses and keeping them in Ireland.I suggest that the Government should focus initially on key primary areas, including salaries, for the maintenance of our communities and education and then build on that. These are fundamental professions for the well-being of our citizens.

There is a third area. I know many general practitioners and doctors. Some of them have to emigrate. They are going to countries in the Far East simply to make ends meet. We talked the last day about retiring at 70 years of age and we had a good debate on the question. GPs cannot retire at 60, 65 or even 70 years of age in some cases; they have to keep going.

I believe we are at the middle stages of our education system almost crashing. The same applies to our care structure. Let us look at how we treat teachers. Certainly, something is really wrong because I was getting a salary 25 years ago that is twice the amount that teachers who are starting now get. There is something wrong if we cannot attract nurses who were trained in Ireland. They are going abroad to work and they are not coming back. Others are not going into the profession. There is really something wrong if GPs have to work until they are 70 or 75 years of age simply to keep going.