I have made the major part of my contribution on this Second Report on Developments in the EEC, and I have only a few brief remarks to make in conclusion. I concentrated mainly on the section dealing with education and, in particular, on the reference in the report to a report which was commissioned by Professor Henri Janne. Therefore, I shall conclude on the question of education in the Community by suggesting that some initiative should be taken, not an Irish, French or German initiative, but an initiative known to be a Community initiative in education. After all, it is only quite recently that the EEC decided they would drop one of the Es and concentrate both in terminology and in fact on the idea of it being a European Community, not merely an economic community.
I have a suggestion to make, not a well-formed one at the moment, but one which would deserve study and which has been mentioned on occasions by various people already in Europe, that some kind of European education institute should be established. Professor Janne in his report did say that one of the places where the Community should be very strong in the educational field is in that of modern language teaching. The languages are there; the experience and the expertise should be there. What I am suggesting is this—and I may do something about it by way of motion later on—a European educational institute where a concentration could be made on the teaching of modern languages, particularly the European ones, and European languages spoken outside the existing Community as well. I am glad to say that comments generally by the experts in the Janne report also took in other countries which are not now and may not be members of the Community.
This institute could also develop educational technology generally, but particularly the technology that is now in use in the teaching of modern languages. It could also be developed into a fine centre for a European library, a library, that is to say, for books which, through a liaison with the national libraries in the various countries of the Community, could be very useful. It could also act as a library for films of one kind or another, not purely educational in the narrow or professional sense. It could also quite usefully engage in mounting itinerant exhibitions of paintings, for example. I know there is a difficulty about this. We discussed this already in another context, and the question of security and expense is one that has to be taken into consideration. However, if we are to believe what we said ourselves and what other Europeans said, that it was not for the money bags situation that the Community was developed, we could spend some money in this line too.
Incidentally, I would like either the Community Commission or the Community itself to get out some kind of handbook in which there would be a glossary of the terms that are in use, not merely for the general public but for people who are interested in the various legislative assemblies. There is a rash of initials, dots and capital letters, and it is very difficult to pick one's way through them. It is only a minor point but one that occurred to me on reading the reports.
The whole purpose of my advocacy of this type of institute is, as I said, to give some kind of educative European dimension to the educational scene in Europe. I know there was a proposition already for a European centre for educational development, and I believe a commission was set up —I am a little vague on this; there is no reference to it in the report as far as I remember—and people were asked to develop a programme of action in this field. Perhaps we could hear something about how it is getting on, if I am right in thinking that is the case.
Our Minister here could take some kind of European initiative. We do not have to wait on Mr. Darnedorf or any of the Ministers in the various other member countries. We could do this as an earnest of our interest in the EEC. There has been great concentration on economics and on the social and regional policies. I do not wish to be pessimistic about our progress in regard to regional policy but it has been bad and very disheartening. If achievement in some other field could be put before the people the pessimism which will inevitably set in if the monetary and economic union problem and the problems concerning the regional policy are not solved could be lessened.
I have not much more to say about this second report. I have a little to say in reference to paragraph 7 (1) of the Second Report, and on page 8 paragraph 24, and on page 9 paragraph 28 of the supplementary report which was circulated, and also in relation to directives Nos. 160 and 161. Directive No. 160 deals with the cessation of farming and Directive No. 161 deals with the socio-economic guidance to be provided for farmers. I should like to say a few words about this. Paragraph 28 of the supplementary report says that the socio-economic guidance will be by way of expansion of existing facilities. It is rather difficult to make out what that is. I am sure there is a document which has been submitted and I should like to be able to read such a document some time. Does this mean purely economic guidance? We have not got a highly-developed social guidance team. Does this mean the people who are directly employed by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries or the Department of Lands, or does it mean that money may be provided for organisations such as Macra na Tuaithe and Macra na Feirme which are involved in educational work of this particular type?
Directive No. 160 refers to the people who will be persuaded to leave farming. This is purely an educational question. That is why I am raising it here at all. It says that the people who opt to lease or sell their land so that it may become available to development farmers will not be allowed to keep much land. The area of the land they keep will be limited. They will not be encouraged to produce in marketable quantities from the amount of land left to them. I am reasonably familiar with the rural scene and I see serious problems in this proposal. The human problem must be dealt with. Most people engaged in agriculture work long days and work every day. They work very hard. If they are to be persuaded to leave most of their land in the pool for development farmers, it would be wrong to deprive them of the power to engage in horticulture. I will define how this is relevant.
A person who ceases to be involved in intensive activities will be lost and will not know what to do with himself. This is a serious social problem for a person of 55 to 60 years of age. I understand that 55 years will be the relevant age in Ireland. If such a man has a small plot of land, approximately an acre, left to him it is quite possible that he could derive a great deal of human fulfilment from using that acre or so for the production of vegetables. Quite often such a man does not know very much about the intensive cultivation of vegetables. In this instance the socio-economic guidance could be brought to bear on the scene. There could be someone who would instruct the man. The social problem could be dealt with and the farmer could develop his acre or half-acre of garden. It would be ridiculous if he were allowed to develop it but not to sell the produce. There are both social and educational problems here.
I do not know whether we have power to amend or change a directive. I am sure we were not involved in the formulation of the directive. Consequently we could not have brought this idea to the Commission when the directive was being formulated. This is a problem which should get attention. The fact that it is a social problem and that education is also involved to a certain extent means that it is a Community problem. This would also enrich the country. In rural areas vegetables have often to be brought from the capital city to the small towns. Developments in this regard could take place. In Russia it is well-known that the collective farms are not totally satisfying to the people who work them but the Soviet authorities allowed patches of land for individual, private cultivation and as a result great quantities of horticultural produce came on the market and enriched the State.
I will conclude by saying that there has been much disappointment along the road to economic and monetary union. Would full economic and monetary union suit this country if we had it? There has been much disappointment about the regional policy. We feel that the Community were not "putting their money where their mouths were", when we were advocating joining the Community. Some initiative that would succeed in the educational world would be a great boost to the whole idea of the Community.
In the supplementary document reference was made to scientific and technological matters. I would hope that we might get some help also about such matters. There seems to be considerable discontent about the involvement of the country in higher technological education. There are rumblings from the Dublin Higher Technological Colleges in Bolton Street and in Kevin Street and also in the College of Commerce in Rathmines. In developing these colleges we should try to take note of the European dimension.
In this regard I hope there will be no false antithesis posed by anybody between the Dublin colleges and the regional technological colleges. Some person in a rather important position has started this and is stating that the regional technical colleges will get all the money and the Dublin ones will not. I hope this will die a sudden death in our own community as well as in the context of the European Economic Community.
There is a reference in the supplementary report to cross-Border co-operation. I should like to make a brief reference to the submission which, I think, the Minister for Foreign Affairs got from Mr. Simpson of Queen's University in which a plan for the development of the Monaghan-Fermanagh region was tentatively outlined. I am sure I do not have to ask the Minister to have a look at the map and to see that the large Cavan panhandle comes in between Fermanagh and Leitrim, both of which counties are mentioned. Mr. Simpson, for some reason, seems to have skipped over the western part of my native county and constituency. I am sure I can rely on the Minister, as a favour, to make sure that part of the constituency is taken into account if there is to be development in that region—I hope there is—as well as in the Derry-Donegal region.