Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to be associated with what has been expressed by Members of the House in wishing the Leas-Chathaoirleach, the Cathaoirleach, the staff and the management of Leinster House a happy Christmas and a prosperous new year. I would also like to extend this to my colleagues in the House and wish them all a happy Christmas.

Not for the first time, I raise the issue of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. There are serious problems with the institute that have serious ramifications for Galway, for the whole region and for the Mayo campus. I understand the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, is having a report carried out on what is happening at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and I hope it will be published as soon as she gets it. I ask the Leader that we have a debate early in the new year on the issues in Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology because it has serious ramifications for the proposed technological university for the west. It will put the timeframe for this technological university back. There are problems with staff, management and governance and I hope that all those issues can be addressed. I appeal to the people involved to put their differences aside for the sake of the institute and the technological university that is proposed for the west.

I draw the attention of the Cathaoirleach to an issue that was reported on www.independent.ieof a Christmas sleigh that bears the name and the image of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, wishing his constituents a happy Christmas. Issues have been raised by the Road Safety Authority as to whether it is safe or not. The Garda say that it is safe but we need a report on what is safe and what is not safe in how those Christmas sleighs are displayed. I appeal to the Minister because the sleigh displays the Mayo colours and I hope he will not bring the Mayo colours into disrepute. The people of Mayo would not wish for those colours to be used on the Christmas sleigh.