Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Roimh an díospóireacht sin, d’iarr mé ar na hoifigigh i mo Roinn dul i dteagmháil leis an Roinn Oideachais chun an t-ábhar sin a phlé, mar tá a fhios agam go bhfuil an rud sin ag cur isteach go mór ar na tuismitheoirí agus na daltaí agus tá cuid de na ceisteanna ó thuismitheoirí, mhúinteoirí agus dhaltaí atá ag teacht isteach chuig mo Roinn.I am engaging on this issue with the Minister, Deputy Foley, through my officials. There are obvious concerns around the issue Senator Kyne raised. Táimid go léir ag déanamh ár ndícheall chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn. We must look at how the Irish language is taught. It is not just about the amount of time used in the classroom but also the need to examine in a fairly dispassionate, upfront and forthright way how it is taught and why it is that, after 14 years, most of us have difficulty with the language. As Minister of State with responsibility for the Gaeltacht, I have the same difficulty. Tá an muinín beagnach caillte ag cuid mhór de na daoine atá tar éis teacht tríd an bpróiseas oideachais in Éirinn, ach when they go to France, after five years of learning French, they can have a comhrá i bhFraincis. We have a problem and we cannot address it just through shrinking the amount of time given to the teaching of the language. We need a proper discussion around an méid go léir maidir le múineadh na Gaeilge, sa bhunscoil go háirithe. Beidh mo Roinn ag glacadh páirt sa díospóireacht agus sa chomhrá sin.