Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and Minister of State. Like previous speakers, I believe we have debated this issue for a good while. The report was instigated in 2017 and I suppose it must be welcomed that it is now being published. At least we know where we are at. Many of us were waiting eagerly for the report. When I got a chance to read it a couple of weeks ago, my initial reaction was that it was a stepping stone, as the Minister said. Considering that it was commissioned in 2017 and it is now 2022, when will we get to the destination? For five long years, the organisations have waited, unsure of their funding from year to year. I concede that we have provided funding for Cork Life Centre more than ever before in the past few years. That must be acknowledged, as must the additional hours given, but at the same time the report refers to a sustainable model. All the models and centres are different. As Senator Flynn said, there is no one size that fits all, and that must be acknowledged. The majority of people running the centres just want to know the resources they have and the contractual status of their teaching staff. We are all speaking about Cork Life Centre. A sizeable proportion of the staff there are qualified teachers and some of them have a masters degree. They are not being paid at the same rate as their equivalents in mainstream education. I would like some feedback on when we will reach the final stepping stone or destination where there are definitive answers for each of the centres.