Tá fáilte roimh an Aire. I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Deputy Ciarán Cannon, to the House.
Adjournment Matters
School Transport
I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I wish to raise the issue of changes that have been made to the post-primary school transport scheme. The changes were introduced by the previous Government but a number of elements of that scheme come into effect this September.
There were a number of issues in County Waterford which, thankfully, have been resolved this year due to the concessionary transport places on the buses. I have had e-mail exchanges with the Department of Education and Skills and with Bus Éireann. Both bodies have been helpful in providing information so I wish to thank the Minister of State for that.
A number of issues need to be addressed for 2013 and subsequent years, however. The first one concerns information that is given to parents. As the Minister of State knows, many parents apply for school transport in March or April. This year, in parts of Waterford that were affected by the changes to this scheme, parents had to go to their nearest education centre or they would not qualify for school transport. They made the application in March or April but were not notified of the changes which come into effect in September. That was an omission by Bus Éireann. I know the change was introduced by the previous Government and it could be argued that people were personally responsible to find the information. It is unreasonable, however, to expect people to know every single change which is made in a budget. The first mistake was that Bus Éireann simply did not inform people when making their applications that a number of changes had been made which might affect their children's places on the bus.
The second issue concerns the eligibility criteria, which the Minister of State could examine for future years. It is clear that one must attend one's nearest education centre having regard to ethos and language, but there is no regard for county boundaries or road infrastructure. I will cite a number of examples. Portlaw was one area of concern in County Waterford but thankfully when 86 students applied for school transport there were sufficient places for them. Everybody is therefore sorted this year but in reality some of these people are getting concessionary places. What will happen in 2013 and 2014? They were being asked to go Carrick-on-Suir which is in Tipperary, rather than the school in Kilmacthomas which is attended by their siblings and which their parents attended.
The other question concerns how distance eligibility criteria are measured. According to the Department's own guidelines, distance eligibility will be determined by Bus Éireann by measuring the shortest traversable route from the child's home to the relevant education centre. In some cases, however, Bus Éireann was measuring the distance from one post office to another. The reason the company gave was that if there is more than one education centre then that is what they do. For example, pupils in Portlaw were not having the distance measured from their home to the nearest school in Carrick-on-Suir, but from the post office in Portlaw to the post office in Carrick-on-Suir. The closest school for some parents was Kilmacthomas because they were on the outskirts of Portlaw. Because of the way it was measured, however, it meant that they did not qualify and are now classed as concessionary. That situation needs to be re-examined.
I could not find the words "from post office to post office" in any of the documents, so I wonder where that came from. Nor could I see any discretionary element because it seems to be very clear in referring to "the shortest traversable route from the child's home". Perhaps the Minister of State could offer some clarification on that matter. If he does not have the information today, perhaps he could provide it by e-mail.
Another issue concerns choice, which involved parents in Dunmore East. That marries with the road infrastructure argument as well. Their nearest secondary school is in Tramore. Anybody from Dunmore East seeking a secondary school would send their children into the city. There is only a kilometre in the difference but the road infrastructure is much better. The road from Dunmore East to Tramore is a secondary one and would not be safe for a school bus in my view. There is a very good road between Dunmore East and Waterford city, so it would make more sense to use it. Parents have a choice of seven or eight schools in the city, yet there is only one in Tramore.
There is also the question of whether schools in those areas that have now become the nearest education centre, have the capacity to meet the needs of those pupils. The spatial planning for those schools must also be examined.
I am raising these genuine issues which the Minister of State could examine for future years. I wish to put on the record, however, the fact that the Minister of State and his officials have been very helpful in this regard. In addition, Bus Éireann has given support to parents who found themselves in a position that could have posed difficulties. We have got over it this year but there may be problems in 2013 and subsequent years. I ask the Minister of State to look at the school transport scheme.
I thank Senator Cullinane for raising this matter. School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on my Department's behalf and covers over 82 million km annually. In the region of 113,000 children, including more than 8,000 children with special needs, are transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. It is a major daily logistical effort to get those children safely to and from school. Indeed, it is a very costly effort.
The main objective of my Department's school transport scheme is to support the safe transport to and from school of children who would have difficulty travelling, for reasons of distance, to their nearest school if transport is not supported. That is the original ethos underpinning the school transport system, which was first introduced many decades ago.
I take it the Senator is referring to the changes regarding school transport eligibility for children attending post primary schools, which take effect from the beginning of the next school year in September.
The current system for determining eligibility for school transport at post-primary level has been in place for over 40 years. In 1966, when the then Government announced the introduction of free post-primary education, the country was divided for planning purposes into geographical districts — also referred to colloquially as catchment areas — each with several primary schools feeding into a post-primary centre with one or more post-primary schools.
Post-primary pupils are eligible for transport if they reside 4.8 km or more from their local post-primary education centre — that is, the centre serving the catchment area in which they live. The definition of school transport catchment boundaries has been the cause of many submissions and representations to the Department over the years. It is widely considered by many that the current catchment boundary areas do not reflect changed demographics. They also lead to a significant amount of confusion amongst parents and school management, as to whether or not a child might be eligible to attend a particular school. Senator Cullinane mentioned earlier that the system as it is now envisaged, where a pupil is entitled to transport to the nearest school, has made the whole situation very clear. That is exactly what we are setting out to achieve.
Changes in the post-primary school transport scheme were announced in budget 2011. One of the changes that will take effect from the commencement of the 2012-13 school year means that the use of the catchment area system as a means of determining eligibility will cease for all pupils newly entering a post-primary school.
From this date, school transport eligibility for all new pupils entering a post-primary school will simply be determined by reference to the distance they reside from their nearest post-primary education centre, having regard to ethos and language. I take on board the concerns that Senator Cullinane has about other methods perhaps being used to determine how far a pupil resides from the nearest school. I will engage with my Department's school transport unit and Bus Éireann to see what mechanism is being used to determine that distance. I understand that it is the shortest traversable route from the young person's home to the front gate of their school, but perhaps another method is being used so we need to clarify that.
This eligibility criterion will be applied equitably across all schools transport provision on a national basis. In general, eligible pupils who are currently availing of school transport and who meet the distance criterion of 4.8 km, will retain their eligibility for the duration of their post-primary education, provided there is no change in their current circumstances.
On the planning of school infrastructure, the general approach of the Department is to plan on the basis of attendance of pupils at their nearest primary schools and that those primary schools then feed into attendance at the nearest post-primary schools or the nearest post-primary centre generally.
The changes announced in post-primary school transport services are in line with this approach and will result ultimately in a more efficient and cost-effective scheme.
At a time when this country is losing €44 million per day, one cannot argue that we should be transporting children to a school other than the one nearest to their home. Senator Cullinane mentioned that we are somehow impinging on parental choice when it comes to determining what post-primary school children should attend. I would argue that we are not, however. Ultimately, it is the parents' decision as to which school they sent their child to. It never has been, is not and never will be possible to provide a school transport system that somehow serves that need. All we can endeavour to do is transport children to their nearest school. That is a significant service on the part of the State, costing on average €1,000 per annum per child for which we charge a fraction of that cost. We are doing an exceptional job in very difficult budgetary times.
I thank the Minister of State for agreeing to investigate my first concern about the distance eligibility. At the end of his contribution, the Minister of State referred to efficiency and cost-effective schemes. We have no difficulty with cost-effective schemes. There is logic in people attending their nearest education centre. However, sometimes their nearest education centre is not the best choice because of the road infrastructure or because of county boundary issues. Those are practical considerations that need to be taken into account.
Some people are now availing of the concessionary transport, for example, in Tramore, where there is a place on the bus to go to Kilmacthomas or from Dunmore East to the city. However, if they are medical cardholders they need to pay the €350 and do not get the free transport, which is also a concern for many of those parents. There needs to be an element of choice. If there are six schools that are 7 km away and one school 6.5 km away and the road infrastructure is not the best, it makes perfect sense. My point is that there needs to be some flexibility. One could argue there was some with the catchment areas, although that gave rise to its own set of circumstances. While there may not be any perfect system, it could be tweaked to add value and improve it for all concerned.
Youth Services
I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to address my query about the Cork Life Centre. I had raised the matter previously with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and the reply I received was incomplete, as, unfortunately, I believe she was not provided with the full information on the centre. This centre caters for young people aged between 12 and 18 who have dropped out of the educational system. Many of them have no family support. Some have come to the attention of the centre because of their involvement with drugs or alcohol and given their lack of family support, they are going down a very dangerous road from the point of view of their long-term health and well-being.
The centre was set up with the support of the Christian Brothers and this year they are investing €90,000 in the centre. More than 30 people attend it on a daily basis. It is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Six of the students sat the applied leaving certificate examinations and eight of them sat the junior certificate examinations. These are young people who are in serious danger. A report earlier this year indicated that 200 young people died over a number of years because the support mechanisms in place were in adequate to look after them. For many of the students, attending the centre has given them the benefit of taking a different route from the one they had been travelling.
At the moment the centre has a full-time manager and it will receive 960 VEC hours which equate to 1.5 teachers. It is getting very little support and yet it is providing vital support services for these vulnerable young people. I understand approximately 18 qualified teachers, who cannot get employment at the moment, work there on a voluntary basis. They give support to these young people on a one-to-one basis. Unfortunately, the Christian Brothers have indicated they are no longer able to provide the funding they have been providing in recent years. We want to ensure a proper structure is put in place for them so that the centre can continue to provide this essential service for these young people with a view to avoiding the tragedies outlined in recent reports from the HSE. I ask for that to be taken on board in the long-term planning for the funding of the centre.
I thank the Senator for raising this issue. The Department of Education and Skills provides support to two life centres — one in Pearse Street in Dublin and the other in Winter's Hill in Cork. During the past academic year, my Department allocated 2,768 teaching hours to the centres under the co-operation hours scheme operated by the local VECs. This is equivalent to four full-time teachers. Additionally, €114,000 is provided annually to the centres to help meet day-to-day running costs.
Almost 1,000 of these hours and some €50,000 in funding are provided to the Cork Life Centre, which was established by the Christian Brothers in 1996, with the assistance of the Holy Faith Sisters. It caters for approximately ten young people between the ages of 12 and 16 who are out of the mainstream school system. The centre provides a model of high-support educational provision incorporating intensive personal, social and educational support. With the hours allocated, City of Cork VEC employs four tutors who work in the centre and deliver tuition in CSPE, reading, literacy, arts and crafts, woodwork and home economics. The annual grant is used to help meet day-to-day running costs.
Young people are referred to the centre by various agencies including the National Educational Welfare Board, social workers, juvenile liaison officers and parents. Typically, applicants have been out of school for some time, ranging from a few weeks to a few years. The centre prepares young people for the junior certificate, and for life and work as productive and integrated members of society. The centre aims to address a range of needs of the young people — a need for certification, preparation for work, a positive attitude toward society, communication skills, ICT skills and recreational skills.
Alongside the support and funding the Department provides to this centre, it also funds a range of national programmes that cater for early school leavers, such as Youthreach, FÁS community training centres and youth encounter projects. In the city of Cork, the Department funds 100 Youthreach places in four centres through the VEC. The Youthreach programme provides two years' integrated education, training and work experience for unemployed early school leavers with less than upper second level education who are between 15 and 20 years of age. As part of the Youthreach programme, the Department funds the Cork City Learning Support Service which caters for up to 70 young early school leavers aged 12 to 18 years of age. The service provides the junior certificate and some FETAC programmes for learners.
Through FÁS, my Department provides 155 places in three community training centres which address the training and employment needs of early school leavers, primarily aged between 16 and 21. The Department also funds the St. Kevin's youth encounter project in Cork which can deal with up to 25 children aged 11 to 15 years of age. Children are referred to the school by a number of agencies including the court system and they mostly come from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, with a multiplicity of problems and issues.
The Government has adopted a broad-based approach to tackling early school leaving. The total provision for educational inclusion programmes in 2012 is approximately €720 million across all levels of education, including early education, primary and second level, further education programmes and third level student support programmes. It also included funding for the NEWB, school completion programme, youth projects and early education, responsibility for which transferred to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in 2011.
Earlier this year representatives of the life centres met the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn. Subsequently, they wrote to my Department to advise that the Christian Brothers, who were the major funders, were planning to cease funding the centres and to request replacement funding for the life centres. This request is being considered by departmental officials and they will be in contact with the life centres in due course. In reviewing the request from the life centres, we need to be cognisant of the budgetary pressures within the Department.
I again thank the Senator again for raising this issue and the Department will endeavour to keep him informed of any developments on the future funding of the life centres.
I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. I am somewhat concerned about some of the information in the reply — for instance the reference to the VEC. The 960 VEC hours equates to 1.5 teachers in real terms. The VEC has indicated it cannot guarantee that it will be able to provide those hours next year. I am surprised at the 2,768 hours the Minister of State mentioned. I would question that, but I will check it. It is certainly news to me. My understanding is that the Christian Brothers put €90,000 into the centre this year.
The building is also being provided by the order and not by the Department. For more than 13 years I was on the board of management of one of the centres to which the Minister of State referred and which is funded by FÁS. I was chairman of the board of directors for three years and I had six full-time staff. Training was provided for more than 50 people at any one time. The Minister of State's reply refers to people who are aged 15 years and upwards. In fact, it is dealing with people from the age of 12 years and these children are at risk. I ask the Department to ensure a long-term budgetary plan is put in place for this centre because it is dealing with people who are very vulnerable.
Perhaps the reply is badly phrased. The Senator is correct that it refers to 1,000 of the hours being allocated to Cork when in fact 2,768 hours are allocated for the two centres. The centre caters for children aged between 12 and 16 years and that is correct information. I will take the Senator's concerns on board. He will know that the Minister, Deputy Quinn and the operators of the Life centre have been in discussions and it is hoped there will be a positive outcome from that engagement.
School Transport
I propose to share my time with Senator Pat O'Neill on this matter.
Ceart go leor.
I thank the Minister of State for dealing with this matter. He has always been available and forthcoming on these issues.
Our concerns are about rural families. I accept that changes are required as a result of budgetary constraints and the Department must be aware of numbers and figures. However, in the case of rural areas, it is not always down to statistics and it is not always easy to define boundaries. I have been inundated with inquiries from concerned parents and grandparents in areas such as Ballyadams and Ballylinan and I am sure this also applies to other rural villages and parishes across the country. The changes in school bus transport initiated in the budget are now coming into play. Some of the implications may not have been anticipated. For instance, I am concerned about legacy issues. Generations of families may have attended a particular school in their locality which may not necessarily and technically be the school nearest to them. For instance, a brother and a sister may be attending a local primary school but a sibling due to start school next September will be informed that in order to avail of school bus transport he or she must attend another school which may well be in another parish or in another county in some instances. This is not fair nor does it make common sense, even though this is the rule. School-going siblings are being split up as a result and this is not sensible. Parents cannot be in two places at one time. Very often children may have to attend events beyond the scope of the school transport system and it is not possible for parents to divide themselves in half.
While the rules have to be applied I ask that some common sense would be factored into the arrangement and that perhaps an appeals process could be considered. I ask that inspectors applying the regulations would take into account when considering new applicants the fact that siblings already attend a school and that the family may have a connection over generations with a particular school. The new arrangements may be a burden and may cause unnecessary concern to families.
I thank Senator Whelan for sharing his time with me. I raised this matter on the Order of Business last week and Senator Cullinane also raised the same matter. I am concerned about choice. I agree with Senator Whelan on the need for an appeals process. If a family lives next to a big urban centre such as Kilkenny city with a wide choice of schools and school transport is available then that family has options. However, the new rules mean that a family living near a school must go to the nearest school. In these stringent economic times, families are using school transport to bring their children to school. Any extra expense of €250 is very difficult for an unemployed person and it means an extra payment of €7 per week. For instance, a child in fifth year will be allowed stay in the school transport system under the medical card system because they are a current student in a school but a sibling going into first year will be asked to pay €250 or else the parents will have to drive that child two and a half miles to pick up the bus somewhere else. This is a total of five miles per day and this could cost €7 per week when using a car. We are asking families who are unemployed to spend perhaps an extra €14 on school transport for their children.
Another issue arises in respect of county boundaries. We border Carlow on one side and some of the schools which are relatively close are actually in County Carlow. I know we are down on our luck in hurling at present but people in County Kilkenny see it as an issue if they have to send their children across the border to another county where they may not learn the skills of hurling as they would in a school in County Kilkenny. It is a parish issue and it is an issue of choice. An appeals system should be put in place so that a concession can be made in cases where there is not a great difference in distance between schools. The education of children is paramount.
I was involved with a school in Ballyhale where I was chairman of the board of management before I was elected to the Seanad. Ballyhale specialises in special needs and autism and Asperger's syndrome. A parent telephoned me to say their child has been informed that the nearest school is St. Brigid's in Callan but Ballyhale is one kilometre further away. Their daughter has a learning disability. I am not saying St. Brigid's will not look after her but the natural choice for the parents would be Ballyhale because the father himself attended that school. Ballyhale would give the child the supports she needs. An appeals system would allow for this situation to be taken into consideration. It should be the case that learning supports should be in place in a school before a child with special needs is compelled to go on the bus. Choice is the main issue. I thank the Minister of State for his attendance and I thank Senator Whelan for raising this matter.
I thank the Senators for raising this matter today. School transport is a very significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on the Department's behalf and covering over 82 million km annually. Approximately 113,000 children, including more than 8,000 children with special needs, are transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.
The main objective of my Department's school transport scheme is to support the safe transport to and from school of children who would have difficulty travelling, for reasons of distance, to their nearest school if transport is not supported. I will explain the relevant changes to the primary school transport scheme more fully so the Senators will have a better understanding of them.
With effect from the 2012-13 school year, eligibility under the closed school rule will cease and eligibility for school transport will be confined to those children who reside not less than 3.2 km from and are attending their nearest national school, as determined by my Department and Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. It is important to note that all existing eligible children who are not attending their nearest school will retain their school transport eligibility for the duration of their primary education cycle provided there is no change to their current circumstances.
It is a significant concession on the part of the Department that a child attending a school will receive school transport to that school for the duration of the child's time in the school. We argued for this concession but this in itself has led to the anomalous situations which the Senators have described. These situations will continue to arise during that transitional phase. The new cohort of pupils will follow the new arrangements.
The changes mean that greater consistency will be introduced in planning for school places, which is already based on local demographic trends, current and projected enrolments, recent and planned housing developments and the capacity of existing schools to meet demand for places. As part of the value for money review, Bus Éireann was requested to carry out a sample analysis of a number of school transport services. This in-depth analysis indicated that the vast majority of children, over 95%, availing of school transport services are in fact attending their nearest school and are therefore not affected by this change.
Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply for transport on a concessionary basis subject to a number of terms and conditions that are detailed in the primary school transport scheme. When I attended a number of public meetings around the country last year to explain to parents how this scheme would operate there was an accusation that there is a significant gulf between the charge of €50 for an eligible child and €200 for a non-eligible child. We have now narrowed that gap and are charging both concessionary and non-concessionary children €100. That was done in an effort to make the scheme more accessible to children and to make the changes we are applying more palatable and more easily absorbed by families. It is important to note that eligible children who hold a medical card and who are attending their nearest school will always be exempt from paying this charge.
The changes to the primary school transport scheme will be applied equitably on a national basis. That means eligibility for school transport will be easier to establish and the scheme will be simpler than it was in the past and more transparent for families and schools. There will be strange, anomalous situations when the radii of two schools almost intertwine. That will happen throughout the country. However, I am confident that those issues will be ironed out over the coming two or three years. We will arrive at a point, and this is what we wish to achieve, where parents can access a website, click on a map, find where their house and the school are located and be able to determine whether they are entitled to transport to that school. If so, they will be able to pay for and print a ticket on-line. That is the ultimate aim. We have invested some money towards ensuring we will arrive at that position quite soon, and this process of simplifying the school transport system is the first stage in achieving that. As I said earlier to Senator Cullinane, at a time when this country is experiencing serious financial difficulties one cannot argue that there is any logic or economic sense in transporting a child to a school other than his or her nearest school.
I thank the Minister of State for his fair answer. I am aware that in his constituency the Minister of State is encountering these types of situation personally. I am not seeking to break the rules but I earnestly request that the Minister consider situations where children are already attending a certain school and a sibling wishes to attend the same school. It will not break the bank or lead to a long-term problem to factor that in as a consideration. As the Minister said, it will work its way out through the system in due course without damaging the genuine objective of establishing a cost effective and transparent system that is applied equitably across the country.
I agree with Senator Whelan. The Minister mentioned that approximately 95% of all students attend their nearest school, so we are only talking about 5% of students and they will not all be medical card holders. I do not believe it is a major cost and it should be examined. How many children does the Minister think would be affected by these changes and what is the saving for the Department? Perhaps the Minister would consider putting an appeals process in place. It involves 5% of students and all of them will not be entitled to tickets under the medical card condition. It might be possible to look at this and give concessions where a bus is passing somebody's door and it makes sense not to have to transport the child two and a half miles to get the bus to the nearest school.
I must be frank and honest. It will not be possible to have such a system in place when the schools open on 1 September, but we will take the suggestions on board as we examine rolling out the transport system from September 2013 onwards.
Industrial Development
Gabhaim buíochas as an deis an t-ábhar seo a ardú sa Seanad inniu. My concern is about the recent move of a factory in Gibbstown, County Meath, a Gaeltacht area, into better premises in Johnstown. This factory is in the ownership of Údarás na Gaeltachta and it is a tremendous pity it has moved from a Gaeltacht area to Johnstown, Navan, County Meath. The concern of the local community is that the factory premises be protected and secured. People are obviously worried about vandalism as it is in a quiet, rural area. They are also concerned that replacement jobs and industry be brought to Baile Ghib as a matter of priority by Údarás na Gaeltachta to ensure its commitment not just to secure jobs but also to secure the Irish language in the area.
I do not know why the factory was moved. I presume it was moving to a better premises, but there has been talk in Gaeltacht circles that Údarás na Gaeltachta has a very strict policy on rents and is reluctant to reduce them. I do not know if that applied in this case and I have no evidence that it did. However, that has been suggested in a general way with regard to the Údarás. I look forward to hearing the Minister's response about this factory and whether there will be a replacement. In the meantime, the premises must be secured and maintained.
Ar dtús, ba mhaith liom a rá go bhfuil an freagra atá agam i nGaeilge, ach cuirfear cóip i mBéarla chuig an Seanadóir maidin amárach.
Tuigim.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach as deis a thabhairt dom an t-ábhar seo a thógáil sa Seanad. Tuigtear dom go bhfuil an comhlacht atá lonnaithe sa mhonarcha atá i gceist ag an Seanadóir chun é a thabhairt suas ar 19 lúil 2012. Is monarcha í seo a tógadh i lár na seachtóidí, sula raibh go leor den reachtaíocht atá againn sa lá atá inniu ann maidir le sláinte agus sábháilteacht, truailliú uisce agus caighdeáin tógála i bhfeidhm. Agus an foirgneamh ar ais i seilbh Údarás na Gaeltachta, tógfar gach céim is gá chun é a chosaint don todhchaí. Níl aon chinneadh déanta fós ag an Údarás maidir lena dhíol nóé a chóiriú i gcomhar tionscnaimh nua. Meastar, áfach, go mbeadh sé thar a bheith costasach an foirgneamh a chóiriú agus a roinnt ina n-aonaid níos lú. Ar an taobh eile den scéal, dá ndíolfaí an foirgneamh, bheadh sé fós ar fáil, faoi réir cead pleanála a bheith ar fáil, do ghnóthaí eile a mbeadh spéis acu lonnú ann. Déanann Údarás na Gaeltachta, i gcomhar le IDA, margaíocht leanúnach ar a chuid monarchan ar mhaithe le fostaíocht a chruthú sa Ghaeltacht. I láthair na huaire, tá an t-Údarás ag déileáil le roinnt fiosruithe maidir le spás tionsclaíoch sa cheantar seo agus déanfar cinneadh maidir le todhchaí an fhoirgnimh seo i gcomhthéacs na bhfiosruithe sin.
Tuigim go maith na dúshláin agus na constaicí a gcaithfidh Údarás na Gaeltachta dul i ngleic leo sa timpeallacht dheacair ghnó atá i bhfeidhm faoi lathair. Níl amhras ar bith ach go bhfuil an ghéarchéim eacnamaíoch náisiúnta agus domhanda ag cruthú deacrachtaí do chomhlachtaí sa Ghaeltacht agus tá impleachtaí dá réir ann do chursai fostaíochta. É sin ráite, caithfear nótáil gurb é an Rialtas deiridh a laghdaigh an soláthar airgid caipitil atáá fháil ag Údarás na Gaeltachta, mar shampla, ó€27 milliún i 2006 go €18 milliún i 2010 agus a ghearr an soláthar céanna go tubaisteach go dtí€6 mhilliún i 2011.
Mar atá ráite faoin gclár Rialtais, tá an Rialtas úr ag tabhairt tacaíochta don straitéis 20 bliain don Ghaeilge maidir leis na spriocanna indéanta atá luaite ann a chur i gcrích. Sa chomhthéacs seo, táthar ag súil go mbeidh Bille na Gaeltachta imithe tríd an Oireachtas amárach. Anuas air sin, tá grúpa oibre atá comhdhéanta d'oifigigh ón Roinn Caiteachais Phoiblí agus Athchóirithe, ón Roinn Fiontar, Post agus Nualaíochta agus ó mo Roinnse ag scrudú an réimse feidhmeanna a d'oirfeadh d'Údarás na Gaeltachta, go háirithe maidir leis an bhfiontraíocht a fhorbairt sa todhchaí. Ar 31 Bealtaine 2011, thóg an Rialtas cinntíáirithe maidir le struchtúr agus feidhmeanna Udarás na Gaeltachta. Shocraíomar go mairfidh an status quo maidir le feidhmeanna reatha an údaráis go ginearálta, a chuid feidhmeanna fiontraíochta san áireamh, faoi réir foráil reachtúil a dhéanamh i mBille na Gaeltachta 2012 chun cumhacht a thabhairt don Aire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta treoir a thabhairt don údarás a chuid acmhainní teoranta a dhíriú i dtreo earnálacha fiontraíochta ar leith, agus meicníocht a fhorbairt chun go mbeidh an t-údarás in ann comhoibriú le háisíneachtaí fiontraíochta eile, ach go háirithe i gcás tograí suntasacha Gaeltachta a bhfuil poitéinseal ard acu. Ag eascairt ón gcinneadh sin, tá foráil chuí curtha san áireamh i mBille na Gaeltachta. Tá an grúpa oibre atá comhdhéanta d’oifigigh on Roinn Caiteachais Phoiblí agus Athchóirithe, on Roinn Fiontar, Post agus Nualaíochta agus ó mo Roinn fhéin ag obair cheana fein ar mheicníocht a fhorbairt chun go mbeidh an t-údarás in ann comhoibriú le Fiontraíocht Éireann agus IDA i gcás tograí suntasacha Gaeltachta a bhfuil poitéinseal ard acu. Tá dul chun cinn maith déanta cheana chun na críche sin.
Mar fhocal scoir, is féidir liom a rá go bhfuil an Rialtas tiomanta don Ghaeilge agus don Ghaeltacht, Gaeltacht na Mí idir Ráth Chairn agus Baile Ghib ina measc. Tá spéis an Taoisigh sna cursaí seo thar a bheith soiléir, agus an coiste Rialtais faoin nGaeilge agus faoin nGaeltacht athbhunaithe aige faoina chathaoirleacht féin chun an straitéis 20 bliain don Ghaeilge a chur i bhfeidhm. Beidh mise mar Aire Stáit ag obair go dlúth leis an Aire, an Teachta Deenihan, agus leis an gcoiste Rialtais le cinntiú go ndéantar gach ní gur féidir ar mhaithe leis an nGaeilge agus leis an nGaeltacht a fhorbairt.
Beidh áthas ar an bpobal i mBaile Ghib a chloisteáil go bhfuil ant-údarás chun dul i ngleic leis an fhoirgneamh a chosaint. Cé go bhfuil sé sin tábhachtach, tá na fiosruithe a luaigh an tAire Stáit ina fhreagra i bhfad níos tábhachtaí. Dúirt sé go bhfuil Údarás na Gaeltachta chun fiosruithe a dhéanamh maidir le spás tionsclaíoch sa cheantar. Bheadh mé níos sásta fós dá mbeadh na cíosanna á gcur ar fáil go réasúnta. B'fhéidir go mbeidh níos mó spéise ag comhlachtaí sa spás sin má tharlaíonn sé sin. I am glad the Minister of State has outlined there are inquiries about the factory in Gibbstown. This is very important. It is important for the community that the factory be protected and secured.
I have asked my colleague, Senator Ó Domhnaill, about this matter. He is soon to attend his second last meeting of Údarás na Gaeltachta unless a local authority or the Government appoints him, which is unlikely. The Senator was elected by the people in Donegal, and I am sure they would re-elect him if they had the chance, but this has been taken away. The Senator will raise this issue in Béal an Mhuirthead at the weekend; I believe there is a meeting on Friday. This matter is very important because, if we really want to protect Irish, we must not have factories leaving Gaeltachtaí and entering superior premises elsewhere. While the story of the company in question is good in general for the county as a whole, we want to protect jobs and the communities in rural Meath.
I reassure the Senator once more that his views will be conveyed to Údarás na Gaeltachta. Every job located in a Gaeltacht is important. I have been to the Gaeltacht in Meath on a number of occasions and hope to be there in the not-too-distant future. At the meeting on Friday, this matter will be on the agenda of Senator Ó Domhnaill and Mr. Cathal Seoighe, whom I know Senator Byrne knows very well, as do I. It is in all our interests to do everything to protect existing jobs. Údarás na Gaeltachta is in negotiations with a number of companies that may be willing to locate at the site in question in what I hope will be the not-too-distant future.
The Seanad adjourned at 6.55 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 19 July 2012.