Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

As the Minister rightly said, this issue was raised at the recent teacher conferences. It is disquieting that a group of teachers feel their work is threatened by their sexual orientation. I would like a reaction to the comments made, particularly at the INTO conference, by a couple of brave teachers who feel their future employment prospects are affected by their sexual orientation or that they have been subjected to homophobic comments within or outside the school.

The Minister referred to section 37 of the Employment Equality Act 1998. I know it is a matter for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, but I ask the Minister to work with the teachers' unions to see whether there are ways in which that section could be amended or improved to make it abundantly clear that irrespective of the patronage model of schools up and down the country, people cannot discriminate against gay or lesbian teachers. Will she engage in a constructive dialogue with the teachers' unions on that issue?

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