Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The meeting has been convened to consider the Supplementary Estimate for Vote 26 – Education and Skills. We will have the opportunity to go through the Supplementary Estimate line by line. Essentially, it deals with salaries, superannuation, school transport and grants.

I will make two comments around teachers before we move to the Ministers. One of the major needs we have at this point relates to substitute teachers. The Minister should note that the committee has agreed to put this on the agenda for our first meeting after Christmas. All the correspondence we have received indicates there is a crisis at this point. The second point relates to equity in teachers' salaries. That is something those of us in the committee feel strongly about and we have spoken at length about it.

I welcome the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton, and the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Deputy John Halligan, as well as their officials. I thank them for attending and assisting our consideration of the Supplementary Estimate. I thank them very much for the briefing material that was supplied and circulated to the members of the committee.

I propose that the following arrangements will apply to the debate. I am going to invite the Minister, Deputy Bruton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, if he so wishes, to make some brief opening remarks. After that, the main spokespersons may make a brief contribution. That is the basis of the formal speaking arrangements. We will then consider the Supplementary Estimate subhead by subhead. Following that, we can have some brief closing remarks. Is that agreed? Agreed.

I remind members that, in accordance with Standing Orders, discussion should be confined to the items constituting the Supplementary Estimate. I ask the Minister to begin his contribution.