Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

It was but legal threats had to be made before that happened. It is sometimes difficult for parents to understand that rules apply to their children as much as they do to everybody else's children. Perhaps some guidance might be given in this area.

I have to admit that when I worked as a teacher, most of my colleagues seemed to view the Teaching Council as no more than an organisation that looked for €90 from us every year. Those of us who had been teaching for a while wondered why the establishment of the council was necessary. Any teacher who has a permanent position in a school will have completed a period of probation and will have received an official stamp, in a sense, from the Department of Education and Skills stating that he or she is qualified. I do not see why the Department cannot maintain a list of such teachers. Perhaps the Minister's intention is that the Teaching Council will have other responsibilities.

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