Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Keogan for sharing her time. As the Minister of State knows, when I was first elected to the Seanad, he and I stood in this House side by side. I congratulate him on his appointment; it is the first time I have met him in his official capacity.

We destroyed education when we changed the contract for teachers at secondary and further education levels by substituting hours for jobs. We fought long and hard to change that. Young teachers looked for this famous contract of indefinite duration. Some of them got these contracts for 11 hours a week. When I started teaching in 1995, we got full contracts and had good jobs. Living and working in urban areas, such as Dublin, Galway and Cork, is now becoming prohibitively expensive for teachers. Like it or lump it, we will have to look at some sort of an allowance for teachers who are living in these areas because as my colleague, Senator Hoey, said, they simply cannot afford to live in Dublin. When I was based in Blackrock, County Dublin, teachers were driving from Mullingar at 5 a.m. and sleeping in their cars for a couple of hours before teaching for the day. It is not good for them or for the quality of education. We must have a complete rethink. If he can, the Minister of State might sit down with departmental officials on this issue. This is all stuff he and the Minister have inherited. It is nothing to do with them but it is there and has to be addressed. Teaching is not a job for young people any more. Their future in it is miserable. Retention is now a problem. People are coming in to teaching and getting out of it as quickly as they can.

I will address the issue of school numbers. It is funny; I looked at what is happening in Limerick. I lived in Limerick and around 1989 we had problems getting places for children. There were not enough secondary school places. I am shocked to hear that the same situation exists today. There is some mitigation on the Department's side because numbers are racing forward due to the number of young children who have come to the country as migrants. There is very little we can do about that. However, access to school places in Limerick has been a problem for as long as I can remember. I will leave it at that. The Cathaoirleach has been very generous in allowing Senator Keogan and me to share time. I again thank the Minister of State for his time.