Shane Curley (Fianna Fail)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Taoiseach as an ról a thug sé dom bheith mar urlabhraí ar an nGaeilge sa Seanad. I am really proud that the Taoiseach nominated me to be our party spokesperson on education in this Seanad. Donogh O'Malley's revolutionary decision to allow free second level education in 1966 opened up the doors for my parents to go to secondary school in Loughrea. In his tenure as Minister for education, the Taoiseach radically revised the primary school curriculum. That had a hugely positive impact on my young life. We are, proudly, the party of education. I hope we always will be.

Senator Crowe and I spoke to the Taoiseach last night. We are currently working on an issue relating to dyslexia. If he could leave one legacy in the lifetime of this Government, it would be that we radically overhaul the speed at which decisions are made in the education system. The time allocated for dyslexia in exams is a symptom of a broader issue due to constant delays in the decision-making process. I hope we can work together to improve that in the coming years.