Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 16 Nov 2006

Vol. 185 No. 5

Adjournment Matters.

Driver Education.

Mr. Morrissey

I thank the Minister of State for attending to discuss the education of learner drivers and the wider driving community. As we all know, alarming numbers have been and continue to be killed on the roads, despite our best efforts, including the penalty points system, the Garda traffic corps and random breath testing. If we are to devote all our resources to enforcement, on which we are expending much effort, we will not succeed very well. Enforcement is the last stage of the procedure. I would, therefore, like more resources to be directed towards the education of drivers. I refer not only to the education of young drivers but also to the ongoing education of experienced drivers. We should further encourage driving simulation and make it available on a graduated basis. It could be introduced among students in transition year before the leaving certificate. One could offer a proper learning experience to young drivers over many months. As of now they try to cram three, four or five lessons into the one-month period before their driving test. We must extend this timeframe.

If 50% of students failed the leaving certificate examination, we would ask one or two questions. We would either say the standard required was too high or that the preparation was inadequate. However, some 50% of those who undertake the driving test fail on their first attempt. It is a waste of State resources to test drivers who clearly are not experienced enough to do the test. It is crazy that people are stuck in a revolving door trying to pass the test on their first attempt when clearly they are not able to do so. They are clogging up the system.

Simulating driving experience in the classroom is one way of addressing the problem. It would give students an early learning driving experience which would not cost anything by way of insurance. The students' parents would not have to buy cars for them and the initiative would offer a new experience to students and a greater experience of the dangers posed by a motor car on the road. The system would provide motorway and night-time driving experience which is not tested under current conditions. There are many advantages to my proposal. Every consideration should be given to considering it for the transition year curriculum, not just on a pilot basis but widespread across the country. We must do so. I encourage the Minister to consider driver education before spending all the available moneys on driver enforcement.

Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Mr. N. Ahern)

I wish to outline the position of the Department of Education and Science on the introduction of driver education to the school curriculum. The Department has no plans to introduce driver education in the form of driving lessons in schools. It is not the norm within the European Union. As the Senator may be aware, a report produced for the NCCA by an expert group which included representatives of the National Safety Council, the Garda Síochána, the Irish Insurance Federation and the Society of the Irish Motor Industry indicated that the research available internationally was inconclusive on the benefits of teaching young people to drive at school. Particular issues highlighted include the gap arising between the time practical skills are learned initially and put into regular practice and the risks arising from having more young people take up driving at an earlier age.

Nonetheless, the Department believes schools have a role to play both in teaching students about road safety issues and in helping them to develop the attitudes necessary to promote safe behaviour on the roads. The social, personal and health education programme which is mandatory in primary schools and at junior cycle level provides a framework under which the generic values and skills that underpin responsible decision-making and respect for the rights and safety of others can be developed and promoted among students. The social, personal and health education programme has a specific personal safety strand which provides a mechanism through which road safety issues for all can be best dealt with in an age-appropriate way.

Specific materials for teaching young people about road safety have also been given to schools. At the start of the 2001-02 school year the National Safety Council, assisted by the Department, distributed copies of Staying Alive — a road safety resource for transition year and the senior cycle — to all second level schools. This pack contained a wide range of learning materials and activities on topics such as personal responsibility and decision-making, environmental issues and risks and rules for road users. A CD-ROM with additional material downloaded from the Internet was included in the pack, with copies of the Rules of the Road. In the preparation of Staying Alive, resource material views were sought from a range of organisations with an interest in the promotion of road safety. The material is supplemented by Garda visits to primary and secondary schools during which the themes of crime, road safety, personal safety and substance abuse are explored as part of the social, personal and health education programme. Some 1,900 school visits were made in 2005. The curricular framework that is in place, in which the importance of road safety can be taught to young people, is supplemented by specific teaching materials and a comprehensive programme of Garda visits to schools. The Department of Education and Science will continue to work with the Road Safety Authority to strengthen further the role of schools in promoting road safety. The authority has commenced work in a number of key areas. It is developing a road safety programme for use in transition year in co-operation with the Department of Education and Science and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.

I hope my response has been of benefit to Senator Morrissey. While the Department is doing a great deal, it seems it is not prepared to provide for driving lessons in our schools.

Mr. Morrissey

The Minister of State said lessons of this nature are not the norm across Europe. However, I am certain that what we are experiencing with young drivers in this country is not the norm. We are mistreating young drivers by pushing them into a system whereby they fail their tests at the first attempt and are then charged large amounts of money for insurance because they have failed their tests. This problem is not the responsibility of any single Department — it is the responsibility of several Departments. The Department of Education and Science is failing miserably.

Institutes of Technology.

Mr. Cummins

In the years between 1991 and 2001, per capita income in the south east fell from 91.1% to 85.3% of the State average. The region’s record in attracting and stimulating knowledge-based industries is also lower than the State average. Just 30.4% of employment in the region is in the modern export sector, compared to the national average of 38.4%. Some 19.7% of the workforce in the south east has a third level qualification, compared to the national average of 26%. Waterford is the only gateway city without a university. Its annual investment in higher education is substantially behind the other gateway cities.

Waterford Institute of Technology, which has more than 10,500 full-time and part-time students, has built a stock of intellectual capital and infrastructure that could be easily reconfigured to university level without significant cost or delay. It is comparable in size to many universities. The breadth of study offered by Waterford Institute of Technology is substantial and diverse. It spans disciplines such as the arts and humanities, social science, education, business and management, information technology, science, health sciences, architecture and engineering.

The 2005 Goodbody report suggested that Waterford Institute of Technology, under its current structure, will make no additional contribution to the region over the next five years. The report argued that the upgrading of the institute to university status would result in the creation of almost 750 high-skilled jobs and lead to an additional annual inflow of up to €80 million per annum into the region. The overall conclusion of the report is that significant value, in terms of economic and social development, would accrue from the investment that would be necessitated by the designation of Waterford Institute of Technology as a university. University designation would provide for a stronger and more competitive cutting edge, beyond that which the institute can achieve within its current boundaries.

I ask the Minister of State to outline the current status of Waterford Institute of Technology's application for redesignation as the university of the south east. What further steps are required before such a redesignation can take place? What timescale is envisaged for the realisation by the region of its true potential, in terms of having its own university? I hope the Minister of State will not give us any more pious platitudes or announce that more reports will be undertaken. He should concentrate on specifics in his reply because we are tired of generalities, nods and winks and the muddying of the waters with bland statements. Waterford and the south east as a whole need to know where they stand in this regard. I hope the Minister of State will clarify the matter.

Mr. N. Ahern

As Senator Cummins is aware, the Taoiseach recently confirmed that the Minister for Education and Science plans to commission a preliminary independent examination of a submission that has been made by the governing body of Waterford Institute of Technology. The governing body wrote to the Department of Education and Science in February 2006 requesting a review of its status under section 9 of the Universities Act 1997. The provisions of section 9 state that the Government may appoint a body, which will include international experts, to advise the Higher Education Authority on whether, having regard to the objects and functions of a university, an educational institution should be established as a university. On the advice of the body and the recommendation of the authority, the Government may, by order, deem the institution to be a university for the purposes of the 1997 Act.

The submission from Waterford Institute of Technology seeking university status is under consideration by the Department of Education and Science. When such an application is being considered, a detailed statutory review process needs to be followed and significant wider issues need to be considered in advance of a statutory review. Some important wider policy developments in the higher education sector are relevant in this context. It is important to take account of the recent significant changes in the legislative framework governing Irish higher education. I refer to the passing of the Institutes of Technology Act 2006 at the end of the last Dáil term, for example.

Some changes were made to wider Government policy on foot of the review of Irish higher education that was carried out by the OECD in 2004. The broad thrust of that review was endorsed by the Government. One of the central purposes of the OECD review was to support Ireland's strategic ambition of placing its higher education system in the front rank of such systems within the OECD nations. That ambition is being pursued in the context of the wider national objective of developing as a leading knowledge economy and society. In its report to the Government, the OECD recommended that Ireland should retain the differentiation in mission of the university and institute of technology sectors, which it identified as a key strength of our system. It emphasised that there should be no institutional transfers into the university system in the foreseeable future. The report also recommended that the universities and institutes of technology should be brought together under the remit of a single authority for the purpose of achieving a unified higher education strategy. The OECD report further recommended that the extent of the external regulation of the institutes of technology should be lightened to give them greater managerial freedom in responding to the opportunities and challenges of supporting regional and national social and economic development.

The Institutes of Technology Act 2006, which addresses some significant elements of the OECD recommendations, marks a major milestone for the institutes of technology sector and the development of higher education in Ireland. The Act will transform the Irish higher education landscape. It will inform our consideration of the case being made for university status for Waterford Institute of Technology.

In the interests of achieving the best outcome, it is intended, as a first step, to commission a preliminary independent examination of the governing body's submission. The examination will involve the appointment of an eminent international expert on higher education to comprehensively analyse Waterford Institute of Technology's submission, taking account of the wider changing policy context. When the independent expert's report has been completed, it will be used to guide the Government's decision on whether a formal statutory review process should be initiated to consider the application, as required under the Universities Act 1997. It is expected this appointment will be made soon.

The Minister for Education and Science is cognisant of the strong support that has been built in the south-east region around the application from Waterford IT for university status. However, the relevant wider policy developments that I have outlined are also fundamental to her consideration of the appropriate next steps on the application. I hope this helps the Senator to understand the present thinking and policy on education.

Mr. Cummins

That helps me to understand the position of the Minister and the Government on our quest for university status. All that has been promised is a preliminary examination of the submission which was made in February.

Mr. N. Ahern

As per the Act.

Mr. Cummins

Most of the Minister of State's speech referred to the OECD report that suggested no further transfers to the university sector for the foreseeable future. That seems to be the policy of the Government. In other words, the people of Waterford and the south east have been shot in the foot again. No hope whatsoever is being given to our aspiration for a university in the region. It is most disappointing that we have this kind of reply from the Department, but it does not surprise me.

Mr. N. Ahern

The Senator is not being fair. I outlined what the Department is doing, which is in accordance with what was laid down in legislation. The other comments about the OECD are fair. I accept that they do not sound encouraging, but they are used as background and tell us of the parameters and of the other view. I fully understand the local view about university status, but the Government is proceeding in accordance with the legislation passed by the Oireachtas.

Mr. Cummins

The people of Waterford and the south east will not be hoodwinked. We know exactly what is going on at the moment.

Water and Sewerage Schemes.

Mr. Coonan

I welcome the Minister of State to the House, having not had the opportunity to do so before. This matter is about a proper, modern sewage treatment plant for the town of Templemore. I will not go into the background of this or we would be here for a long time. I will suffice to say that in 1991, I was elected to North Tipperary County Council when it was an issue. In 1994, I was elected to Templemore Urban District Council and it was still an issue.

I appreciate that the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has dealt with the issue and has approved a sewage treatment system for Templemore. However, it has not yet been built and this has stifled development in Templemore. We are in an era of high levels of development and Templemore has lost out to a large extent. The public and developers in the area are now very frustrated that the plant has not been built.

The Department announced three different schemes for Templemore. The first is a DBO, or design, build and operate plant for the town. The second is a septic tanks effluent drainage system, or STEDS. I compliment the Department on that because it is a pilot scheme and is unique in Ireland. The Department's officials are co-operating with local officials to establish that system in the town. The final scheme to be approved is the SLI, or service land initiative, for another area of Templemore.

When I left local government in Templemore three years ago following the legislation enacted to abolish the dual mandate, we were told that the plant would be up and running by the end of that year. However, we still do not have such a plant. Ancillary works were carried out over 12 months ago, but there is still no sign of the plant. I do not wish to make a political issue of this and I complimented the Minister of State and the Department for announcing the scheme. It was announced in 1997 and again in 2002. An important even is due to take place in 2007 but I am worried that the plant may not be constructed by then. What is causing the delay? If there is anything the Minister and the Minister of State can do to speed up the construction, the people of Templemore and the surrounding areas would appreciate it very much.

Mr. N. Ahern

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. The Department's water services investment programme 2005-07, published last December, includes 18 major water and sewerage schemes for North Tipperary, with a value of over €90 million. The Thurles, Roscrea and Newport areas will all benefit from new or upgraded water supply schemes, as will towns and villages in the north west of the county that will be served by the new north-west regional water supply scheme. In addition, Thurles, Ballina, Nenagh, Newport, Roscrea, Borrisleigh, Cloughjordan, Dromineer, Rearcross and Silvermines can all look forward to new sewerage systems. The €5.8 million Templemore sewerage scheme is also part of the Department's water services investment programme.

There are two elements to the Templemore scheme. The Department approved Templemore Town Council's tender recommendation for the upgrading of the old sewage collection network in 2004, including separation of the foul and storm water sewers in the town. This allowed the council to deal with the lack of capacity in the network and to resolve the problems caused by both the foul and storm water feeding into and overloading the existing treatment plant. I understand that these works are now complete.

The second component of the scheme is the upgrading of the treatment plant and again I can report positive progress. Last February, the Department approved North Tipperary County Council's contract documents for the plant upgrade, which cleared the way for the invitation of tenders from a panel of short-listed contractors. The closing date for tenders was in September and the council is now examining the bids received with a view to selecting the most economically advantageous tender. The design, construction and subsequent operation of the upgraded plant were all included in the tender process and this will speed up completion of the project once the contract has been awarded. The Department is currently awaiting the results of the council's examination of the tenders for the treatment plant. Funding for the project has been allocated in the investment programme and it can be drawn down from the Department as soon as it is needed by the council.

I have listened carefully to what the Senator has said, and while the next move is up to North Tipperary County Council, we can anticipate the early appointment of a contractor to build the treatment plant and a quick start to the upgrading works. This is very much in the remit of the county council. If the closing date for the tenders was in September, the council must be nearly ready to roll at this stage. I hope the Senator can use his influence with councillors at local level to speed up the decision on the tenders. The ball seems to be in their court at this stage.

Mr. Coonan

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I do not disagree with anything he said, but I would like to point out two aspects. First, I have heard before about closing dates for contractors regarding this scheme. It has been going on at least since 1991 and we want to get it built as quickly as possible. Second, the situation in Templemore is unique. It is a Templemore solution to a Templemore problem, just as there are often Irish solutions to Irish problems. Planning permission was granted for houses in Templemore with the proviso that one could build them but not live in them until the sewerage plant went up.

Another issue of great concern is that there are a plethora of treatment plants around Templemore so that developments can go ahead, and that is not entirely satisfactory. There is a delay, and I accept that the Minister of State is not at the relevant Department. That gives me the ammunition that I need to go back to the county council, and I thank the Minister of State.

Mr. N. Ahern

I presume they got the tenders in on time. The closing date for tenders is a legal issue, and one cannot slip them in late. I do not know what is causing the delay but I will make inquires in the Department. The Senator might also make his inquiries at his end. We will see what happens.

The Seanad adjourned at 5 p.m. until2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 22 November 2006.