Dr. Niall Kennedy:

I thank the Deputy for her comments in the Dáil on this issue of precarity. She is one of the few people who asks the right questions. However, when I read the Minister's answers to her, I see that often he says it is up to institutions to set their own priorities. Yet, when we ask the institutions - as their staff we do not have much of a voice - they often say that the Government is not giving them any money. I detect a passing of the buck, back and forth. That is a major problem the committee should address.

The Deputy is absolutely right in terms of solutions. Built into this forthcoming Bill there should be targets for a drawing down of precarity overall. We should also go back to the Cush report which said that core modules, for which there is an ongoing need every year, should not be taught by people who are paid hourly. Today they are and that is happening, as far as I know, in every institution in Ireland. Conditionality in this mechanism should be built into the Bill.