Ba mhaith liom cúpla focal a rá ar an mBille Leithreasa agus tagairt a dhéanamh do chúrsaí eacnamaíochta na tíre, cúrsaí oideachais agus uilig ach nílimse chun é sin a dhéanamh ar an ócáid seo.
Do deineadh tagairt dona lán rudaí sa díospóireacht atá ar siúl againn agus ar na neithe sin bhí ceist na Gaeilge. Is maith liom go mór go bhfuil an oiread sin Seanadóirí toilteanach feidhm a bhaint aisti sna díospóireachtaí a bhíonn ar siúl sa Tigh seo. Is maith an sompla é sin do mhuintir na tíre agus má leanaimid de sin déanfaidh sé maitheas do chúis na Gaeilge.
Bhí an Seabhach ag cur síos ar staid na Gaeilge sa tír agus b'fhíor dó nuair adúirt sé go bhfuil an Ghaeilge ag dul ar aghaidh i slite áirithe ach nach bhfuil sí ag dul ar aghaidh i slite eile. Tá eolas ag a lán daoine anso ar theanga na Gaeilge, go mór mór na daoine a fhágann an scoil ach sí an trioblóid nach bhfuil siad sásta feidhm a bhaint as an eolas atá acu san gnó a bhíonn ar siúl acu i ngáth-chúrsaí an lae mar adéarfá. Ní fheadar conas is féidir é sin a leigheas. Ní dóigh liom gur féidir leis an Rialtas é leigheas. Ní féidir leis an Rialtas ach deontaisí, cabhair airgid, a thúirt chun cúis na Gaeilge a chur ar aghaidh agus stiúriú áirithe a dhéanamh a chuirfidh muintir na tíre ar a leas mar le leathnú na Gaeilge ach, tríd is tríd, is dóigh liom go bhfuil cúis na teangan ag dul ar aghaidh agus nach bás atá i ndán di fé mar adeireann a lán daoine anois, fé mar adeir daoine áirithe anois.
Maidir le ceist Telefís Éireann, deineadh tagairt don cheist sin aréir agus do deineadh gearán nach bhfuil spás go leor dhá thúirt don teanga ar Thelefís Éireann. Is dóigh liom go bhfuil bun leis an ngearán san agus má tá bun leis ba cheart é leigheas.
Do gheibhtí locht ar an radio, Radio Éireann, mar gheall ar a laghad ama, dar linn, a thugadar do chúis na Gaeilge ach le h-imeacht aimsire do cuireadh feabhas ar an scéal—feabhas mór. Tá súil againn, nuair a leathanófar Telefís Éireann ar fud na tíre, go dtioofaidh feabhas ar an scéal maidir leis an ngléas sin leis. Gléas is ea Telefís Éireann a d'fhéadfadh a lán maitheasa a dhéanamh nó a lán díobhála do chúis na Gaeilge agus sinne a chuireann suim sa cheist mhór náisiúnta seo tá súil againn gur maitheas a dhéanfaidh sé do chúis na Gaeilge.
Having passed those few remarks on the Irish language, I wish to return to the general trend of the debate and, like our friend, Senator Quinlan, I hope to be very brief. The Senator in his early remarks referred to the challenge of the Common Market. We have been listening to that phrase for a long time and now we are about tired of it. When people refer to the Common Market one would think that it was only now that we were beginning to set up our native industries. I venture to say that when we join the Common Market the industries we have set up will be able to hold their own in any part of the world. Our secondary industries as well as agriculture are able to compete in the markets of the world with those of other countries. Therefore, if and when we join the Common Market we will be able to hold our own just as well as now. I imagine joining the Common Market would make it easier for us to enter into competition with other countries of the world in selling the products of our industries here.
Senator Quinlan referred to the Seanad and the duties of Senators. He gave us to understand that we were too well paid for the work we are doing. Apparently, he was referring to the number of Seanad meetings that we have. He should remember that Senators have other duties to perform besides attending meetings of the Seanad. As far as I know, the majority of Senators have almost to do the work of T.D.s. They have to attend to constituency work, make representations to Departments on behalf of the people amongst whom they live, and they have to attend various other meetings. The Senator should bear that in mind before he comes to a conclusion as to whether the members of this House are too well paid or not.
Judging from the tenor of Senator Quinlan's speech he does not appear to be satisfied with any phase of our national life. He found fault with almost every Department of State. I just said to myself if that is the case, perhaps the right thing to do would be to abolish the Government and appoint the Senator himself a High Commissioner to look after the interests of the State.
Reference was made to education. In fact, the greater part of the debate centred around education. Of course, education is a very important item in the life of a country, but I would point out to those who advocate increased expenditure on education, and indeed to those who advocate increased expenditure on other things, industry, agriculture, local government, or social services, that all expenditure on these things must keep pace with the increase in productivity. It is only when we have increased productivity that the Government would be justified in giving all these increases. I am glad to say that the increase in the country's productivity has made it possible to give very many increases in all these directions over the past couple of years. The growth in the country's economy, or should I say the fulfilment of the Government's Programme for Economic Expansion, has made it possible to effect increases and improvements in many activities of the State. There is now about three times as much aid being given to agriculture as there was in 1956-57 and there is nearly twice as much spent on education. Senator Hayes referred to education and Senator Quinlan made a passing reference to it also. Senator Hayes advocated increased expenditure on secondary education. Of course, we would all like to have increased expenditure on secondary and other branches of education but we have to have regard to the resources of the country.
If anyone takes the trouble of looking up the Book of Estimates for this year and the Book of Estimates for 1956-57, he will see that almost twice as much is being provided for secondary education this year, and the same applies to vocational education. I am glad to say that vocational education in this country has been making very great strides over the past few years and that the amount of money being expended on it is quite justified.
Reference was made here yesterday to the school leaving age. Senator Brosnahan referred to it and advocated extension of the age. I must say that I myself, too, was of the opinion that it would be a good thing to have the school leaving age extended, but on more mature consideration I would be doubtful about it. In all these things we have to measure the calculated benefit with the amount of expenditure, and it is not necessary to point out to Senators that extension of the school leaving age would involve a considerable amount of extra expenditure. Additional teachers would have to be provided, as well as additional accommodation, and so on. All that could not be done without more money, and the question is, can the country afford all that increased expenditure? Would the extension of the school leaving age be as beneficial to the country as some people try to persuade us it would be? We have, of course, got examples of different operations in other countries. Conditions in other countries, especially in Great Britain or Scotland, are quite different from conditions here.
We all know from our experience that certain children attending primary schools would not benefit very much from a continuation of education, as we will call it. There are certain types of children who have no literary bent, or turn, but who in after life turn out to be great business people. They have what is called a business instinct. It would be better for those children to get away from the schoolroom, and go into the world outside to get an opportunity of putting their business instinct into operation. If they were kept at school after the age of 14 years they would not have the same chance of doing that.
In any case, we have our vocational schools and they, in a sense, are continuation schools. They have been described as the poor man's university and, to a certain extent, they are. If the parents deem it necessary that their children should get additional education if they can afford it they can send their children to the secondary schools. If they cannot afford it, they have the vocational schools. Therefore, I do not see any crying need, or necessity, for extending the school-leaving age in those circumstances.
However, like many other problems in life there is a lot to be said for and a lot to be said against. I should imagine that before anything would be done in that regard certain vital interests should be consulted. The managers of the schools and the parents should be consulted, and should have a say before any Government would bring in legislation for the purpose of extending the school leaving age.
Reference has been made to tourism. I think I can infer from Senator Miss Davidson's remark yesterday that she regards the expenditure of £1,000,000 by Bord Fáilte as not being wise expenditure. I think those are the words she used. She also referred to the hotels and to the amount of money being spent on what she called first-class hotels. As regards the first point I would not be in agreement with her. I think the £1,000,000 which is earmarked in the Book of Estimates for Bord Fáilte is money well spent. I would go a certain distance with the Senator when she says that more attention should be paid to the second-class hotels to meet the requirements of the ordinary middle-class tourist who comes here from across the water, and who could not, perhaps, afford to stay in first-class hotels.
There are also, of course, a certain number of tourists who would not stay in anything but a first-class hotel. We must also take them into account. There is no reason why Bord Fáilte cannot operate a scheme by which the necessary assistance could be given to all those hotels. No matter what they do—and this is a very important point—about the first-class or second-class hotels, unless there is some control over the charges made in those hotels an amount of damage will be done to the tourist industry. There have been many complaints recently about overcharging in hotels, and I am afraid those complaints are not without foundation.
It would be advisable for the Minister responsible for the activities of Bord Fáilte to get them to take some steps towards controlling all hotel charges. That is a matter which I consider to be of vital importance to the success of the tourist industry. As was pointed out in one paper I read today, if this overcharging continues it will be a case of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
I do not want to go over all the Estimates as other speakers have been trying to do or, I should say, as Senator Quinlan has been doing. I do not think it appropriate on a debate like this to deal with all the individual Estimates.