Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy referred to this in his question and I have a supplementary note that was provided for me. It states that the position set out by the Deputy in the question is not entirely correct. The question refers to substitution being no longer permitted for teachers on certified sick leave. The position as set out in the Labour Relations Commission proposals is that teachers will be expected to cover for the first day only of certified sick absences so substitution will continue to be provided for all subsequent days of certified sick absences. It is crucial to keep in mind the context in which these negotiations take place. The State is still in a very serious financial and budgetary situation. Whatever information the Deputy was given in good faith by someone else, the nature of these things is that clarification is part and parcel of how the LRC proposals will affect the broad public sector. The person who spoke to the Deputy might, according to my briefing note, have had an incorrect understanding of the proposals.

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