Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Sure. It is interesting that the Deputy mentioned 8.5 teaching posts because eight staff were lost to the Cork Life Centre this summer alone. They were all senior staff. All of them had worked there for a minimum of six years. Some of them had worked there for 12 or 13 years. There was an inevitability to the Cork Life Centre losing staff this summer. The director had warned in advance that eight to 12 staff would be lost this summer. With the cost-of-living crisis, there can be no expectation or presumption that teaching staff who are not paid properly, or not paid at all in some cases, will be retained. It became clear during the earlier exchange that the Minister had with Deputy Ó Laoghaire that those staff are not in receipt of their increments. There was an inevitability that economic circumstances would force people to leave. Their departure has not involved a replacement of subjects and the Cork Life Centre has been able to maintain the curriculum. However, the loss of those staff represents a considerable loss of experience. For an education centre that works on a model of relationships between staff and young people, to lose eight staff is a big blow. It is a blow the centre will face again next year unless a solution to this issue can be found between now and then. How long does the Minister foresee the review taking? How long will it take to roll out the proposals? How long will the Cork Life Centre have to put up with a situation where it loses staff every summer, which puts it in an impossible position due to the Department's failure to act?