Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The courts have found we are not the employers of teachers. We pay their salary but we are not their employer. The contract of employment is between the patron of a school and the teacher. If a vacancy arises, for instance because of maternity leave, the person who makes the decision is the principal, presumably in consultation with the board of management and the patron. If they choose to hire somebody who has retired or somebody else who is not a recently qualified teacher I would regret it because it means young teachers are not getting an opportunity for employment, but it is not on our side of the equation in the public private partnership.