Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

If there is a successor agreement, the lead person will, undoubtedly, be my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, because any agreement will involve more than just the education sector. I cannot anticipate or predict what shape or form it is likely to take. The only thing about which I am hopeful - I encourage all involved - is that there will be such an agreement to negotiate our way towards something that will meet the requirements of everybody in our society and address the economic reality in which we find ourselves. Deputy Johnathan O'Brien asked me a specific statistical question and I will arrange for the answer to be provided for him. I want to ensure the education system in the Republic continues to attract high quality young people from the secondary school system into the teacher training colleges of education because time and again all of the international evidence confirms that good teachers produce good educational outcomes, more than any other single factor. That is the dominant factor in delivering the quality in education that we need to ensure we continue to attraction quality students.

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