Before coming to the Order of Business I propose to deal with a number of notices under Standing Order 32. I will call on the Deputies in the order in which they submitted their notices to my office.
Requests to move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 32.
Given that Fianna Fáil looped the Green Party members yesterday into a three card trick arrangement over the O'Dea affair and that those Members have trumpeted education reform, I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to raise a matter of national importance, namely, the threat to the education of our second level students and to the future needs of the economy due to the findings of a recent report which highlights the fact that approximately half of mathematics teachers in secondary schools are unqualified——
What report is that?
——which goes a long way to explaining why only 20% of pupils opt to take higher level leaving certificate mathematics. This is a significant indictment of the Government, and the Green Party members in government who continually talk about the need for an increase in the number taking higher level mathematics but, on the other hand, turn a blind eye to the disgracefully substandard teaching that is being given to our secondary school pupils.
Hear, hear.
A Deputy
It is surely a certainty that this matter will be taken.
I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to discuss the following matter of urgent national importance, namely, the need for the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to give an undertaking to the House that she will immediately underwrite the applications from former SR Technics employees for third level education courses, while they await confirmation from the European globalisation fund, to ensure that these people get access to courses before the close-off date for funding under the fund in October 2011, and to get an undertaking from the Minister that she will directly intervene in the decision by the Dublin Institute of Technology not to proceed with the proposed acceleration of the engineering systems maintenance course for the former SR Technics employees because of the failure by her Department to commit or underwrite funds — which would not cost her anything — for these courses. It is clear that these workers have been let down by the Government on many occasions and there is a serious onus on the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment on this occasion to underwrite these courses immediately in order that these workers can be up-skilled, which is part of Government policy. This is Tánaiste's chance to show that.
I seek leave to move a motion for the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to discuss an issue of national importance and concern, namely, the urgent need to resolve the crisis at Dublin Airport with regard to the potential of 300 jobs for former SR Technics staff and call on the Government, Ryanair and other interested parties to act in a sensible and common sense manner to ensure these jobs are created for the north side of Dublin.
Hear, hear.
We support that.
I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to discuss an issue of national importance, namely, the fact that tens of thousands of workers, especially those in many local authorities, cannot avail of the cycle to work scheme introduced by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government last year. The local authorities, although they are under the direction of the said Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, have no intention of introducing the scheme. I ask the Minister to investigate that anomaly immediately.
Having considered the matters raised, they are not in order under Standing Order 32.
On a point of order, Sir, I submitted to you a Standing Order 32 request arising out of the statement made yesterday evening in this House by the Minister for Defence, Deputy Willie O'Dea, in which he admitted confidential information furnished to him as Minister for Defence——
My office has written to the Department in regard to the Standing Order 32——
——by members of the Garda Síochána had been improperly used for his own electoral gain.
I ask the Deputy to resume his seat for a moment.
Sir, this is an issue of enormous seriousness.
I am not disputing that matter but there are ways and means of dealing with it.
At the end of the debate yesterday the Minister, Deputy O'Dea, came into this House——
Deputy, resume your seat please.
——and, as Minister for Defence, admitted he made a statement——
Will the Deputy resume his seat until I explain the position to him as I did in the letter that was sent to him?
——-that was untrue based on confidential information given to him as a Minister.
Will the Deputy resume his seat please?
This man has responsibility for the security of this State.
Deputy Shatter, resume your seat.
That is outrageous and unacceptable and he should no longer be a member of Cabinet.
Deputy, resume your seat. Under Standing Order 32, a matter was raised on the motion to adjourn the Dáil which is not a substantive motion. Charges of the kind raised in Deputy Shatter's notice can only be made against a Member by way of a substantive motion. We will move on to——
This man should not still be in Cabinet.
——the Order of Business.
No member of the Garda Síochána——