asked the Minister for Education if she will outline the Government's education policies and priorities as was done by the previous Government in The Action Plan for Education 1983-87; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Government Education Policies.
1.
The Government's broad plan for education is outlined in our party's document, Programme for National Recovery. The staff of my Department are progressing these objectives in conjunction with the staff in other related Departments.
I have also drafted proposals outlining my particular objectives for education. These proposals will encompass the various levels within the education system and will primarily involve both short and medium term strategies for development and reform in the education process. I will be outlining these to the Dáil when presenting the Estimates for my Department on Tuesday next.
I am delighted to hear that the Minister will be giving us the benefit of her deliberations next week. That is very good news indeed. Might I ask her if, in the preparation of her priorities and programmes for education, she has studied the latest progress report issued by her Department in February on The Action Plan for Education 1983-87 published a few years ago? The Department have produced a regular report each year. Has the Minister looked at that progress report because it is very comprehensive and indicates what has been done over the last few years and what is on the way to being done?
The Deputy can be assured that everything in my Department written about education will be studied by me and carefully taken into account. As I said on the last occasion when oral questions for my Department were taken I am not bound, nor are my Government, within any given Department, to any proposal of any Minister. I will be making up my own mind, establishing my own priorities and strategies for dealing with educational matters in consultation with my departmental officials, taking all the available data into account.
In recent weeks with such chaos and confusion being caused in the education world about the new cuts that are being announced all the time, does the Minister not think it would be very important to make a more comprehensive statement than simply a small announcement in an Estimates debate which, of its very nature, is rather brief? Would the Minister not agree that people in the education world need to know where they are going?
I entirely refute the allegation that there is chaos and confusion within the education system. I am relatively satisfied that, since assuming office, I have conducted extensive consultations and negotiations with all interested parties in education. Indeed I have been very heartened by the immediate and favourable response by the various interests with whom I have had such discussions. It is interesting to note that in those discussions many interested parties have expressed the view that such discussions have constituted the first consultative arrangements that have been made by any Minister. It is my intention not just to meet them initially but also to continue to meet them during my tenure of office. Might I suggest that the question relates to The Action Plan for Education 1983-87 and that I have made a statement on that matter.
I welcome the Minister's proposal to establish a priority programme and I look forward to hearing its details. Can the Minister assure the House that the special needs groups who come under her auspices, as Minister for Education, such as travellers, prisoners and illiterates, will be adequately catered for within her proposed new priority programme?
I should say to the Deputy that I will be outlining my broad objectives, not just a narrow account of what will be done under each subhead within my Department's Votes. I recall that it took some considerable time for the previous administration to produce such an action plan. I will be outlining, in the course of my Estimates speech next week, the broad strategies I will follow in what I hope will be a lengthy term of office. In answer to the question the Deputy posed I can say: yes, most certainly the areas about which he speaks will be carefully borne in mind by me and my Department in establishing priorities.
Would the Minister, who has advised us that she is engaging in discussions with all interested parties, confirm whether she has met Mincéir Mislí on behalf of travellers and the probationary and education staffing in our prisons with regard to education of prisoners in order to correct or clarify the rather disturbing remarks she is reported to have made?
Deputy, please. The Deputy may ask a pertinent question on this subject matter. He may not bring in any extraneous matter. The Deputy must confine himself to the question on the Order Paper.
I will try to relate it to the Government's education policies and priorities. I want to know whether the Minister has sought to re-establish the correct priorities that both these areas of educational need deserve. Would the Minister clarify the position with the representative groups concerned in view of the very unfavourable reports of her recent remarks?
That is adequate, Deputy.
Deputy McCartan can be completely reassured that the groups he has mentioned are on my list for meetings and will be met in due course. He can also be assured that the priorities he has outlined are also mine.
Since the Minister had been telling the House and the education world exactly what needed to be done for four and a half years, can she say why she could not do it immediately, as Minister, for the benefit of us all? Did the Minister consult the Catholic Primary Schools Managers' Association and the INTO before cutting £250,000 from their disadvantaged schools grants?
There is a question about that later on the Order Paper.
Might I ask the Minister if, in keeping in mind and in the mind of her Department the question of travellers' and prisoners' education, and in saying, in reply to another Deputy, that the priorities will be maintained, she means that their omission from the list of priorities has now been reversed? Can we be assured of that?
I regret that I could not hear all of what the Deputy said but I got the general gist of his question. What I have said is that my broad strategy in dealing with priorities will be outlined in my Estimates speech next week. The other matter to which the Deputy referred has already been ruled out of order by the Ceann Comhairle.
A Cheann Comhairle, I got no answer to my question. The Minister ignored my question.
That is not a matter for the Chair.
On a point of order, the Ceann Comhairle specifically ruled in order the question and said that the question, as put, in relation to travellers and prisoners was in order. May I repeat my question as to whether the Minister, in saying that she is keeping these areas in mind and giving them priority, is reversing the announced decision to limit priorities to two other areas and not to extend priorities to these especially important ones? I hope I have now spoken loudly enough for the Minister to hear. I am sorry for being so far back but there are reasons for that.
The Deputy's diction has improved.
Good, thank you, so has the microphone.
I would give the Deputy A-plus for that. With regard to the supposed announcement which the Deputy said had been made by my Department there was in effect no such announcement.
Mystery proposals.
Quite a mystery indeed I would say to Deputy, professor, Carey.
Deputy Carey, please.
In answer to Deputy FitzGerald's question if he will submit to my Department the proposals about which he speaks we will have them examined but no such detailed statement has issued from my Department on the matter about which the Deputy speaks.