During the Order of Business in the Seanad, I said: I draw the attention of the House to the leading editorial in today’s The Irish Times on Seanad reform. It is interesting that, while calls have been made to abolish the Seanad, certain people have recently changed their minds on the need for it. Yesterday’s debate showed how the Seanad can earn its keep...

I was very impressed with that debate, particularly when I compared it to the proceedings in the Dáil. Concerns were expressed clearly by a number of Senators and, while it was not healthy that the debate continued until 1 a.m., this may simply mean we need to improve how we organise our business. If the Seanad is to survive, it is up to us to earn our keep. Yesterday was a good example of the first steps we can take in that direction.

Nos. 2 and 3 on the Order Paper pertain to banking. The Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service met this morning to discuss the proposed commission of investigation into the banking crisis. It is welcome that a time limit will be imposed on the commission’s work. More importantly, it will not solely focus on the past but will also give advice on ensuring we do not run into the same difficulties in future.

Yesterday I referred to the three month long summer holidays taken by secondary schools in Ireland, which compare to 16 days in Japan. Somebody asked me whether I really expect students and teachers to work over the summer months but my attention has since been drawn to a novel way of teaching languages practised in Britain and elsewhere.

It is called the Michel Thomas system and I was very impressed when I was told about it by somebody who has just completed a course. Students take no notes and are told they should not memorise anything. This helps pupils to relax and they seem to be able to form complex sentences in languages they have never previously heard within a few days.

German, French and, perhaps, Japanese and Chinese language teaching would bring huge benefits to the country because jobs are waiting to be filled by people who are able to speak these languages. We are at the bottom of the pile in Europe for languages but this system would enable us to learn in a fun and exciting environment.

We could have pleasure even while making great achievements. Rather than requiring students to attend school more often, we could bring them both joy and success.

Let us find a way of bringing this to the attention of our education authorities.