Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)

I cannot believe it, given what the Minister's counterpart in England is doing and the latter's description of the General Teaching Council for England as a quango that must be scrapped. I will make a single point to the Minister, which is that the Teaching Council's biggest activity last year appears to have been to seek a 20% increase in salary for its retiring director to increase her lump sum and pension. At the same time, however, a teacher who only teaches for two hours each week must pay €90 and young people emerging from the training colleges and universities are unable to get an interview without paying €90 but have no guarantee of getting a job. I have yet to meet a teacher who thinks this constitutes good use of his or her €90.

See this speech in context