Mr. Michael Gillespie:

There was also a massive petition on the issue. The response of the TUI was that it merited consideration. We never demanded it or proposed it, which seems to be what has been quoted as happening. We answered press queries and we said it merited consideration, and the reason for that is because that Monday and Tuesday are not high educational days. They are days that traditionally have a lot of things happening that are part of the hidden curriculum, for example, the Christmas show, choir activities, and perhaps religious ceremonies, depending on the school in question. We said that it might be highlighted that these activities would be missing because of the early closure of schools, and that could upset people. We know some of our members were upset, and others, like ourselves, said that it was worth considering. However, we went no further than that. If one looks at the petition, some talked about the four extra days. In other words, the petition - not the TUI - was saying that by missing the day and a half - the Monday and Tuesday - with the school closing on the Friday, that would provide the 14 days up to New Year's Day. All the TUI said was that it was worth considering, and yet there was a flurry about our statement. That is all we said.