Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to speak in support of the Bill and to reiterate a point made by Deputy Conway-Walsh in respect of primary school teaching. Currently, more primary school teachers are trained by a private online college than in any other way. That does have an impact. It could have a negative impact in future if it is not regulated and if the ethic that underpins the Bill is not stated, such as in the form proposed by the amendment. It started as an add-on to teacher training but it is now the primary provider of teacher training. The amendment is an important rebalancing of the ethics behind what we are trying to achieve.