Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)

While I have never sought confrontation with the unions, I will not back off on a benchmarking agreement which was freely entered into. That is what they did. While I have a duty and a responsibility to teachers, I also have a duty to pupils and parents. I cannot become a spokesman for teachers or any other education interest group except in particular circumstances. I want the effective, efficient education system which produces well-rounded young people that I hope teachers want also.

I do not deliberately court controversy. I wrote a letter privately to the unions on 17 February and it remained with them for some time. While it was being dealt with quietly behind the scenes, my Department's press office received a phone call from a media outlet which stated one union had been in contact about a letter. The union had informed the media outlet that there was no way it would accede to the Minister's request to change union procedures.

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