Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I agree that this issue has been discussed a great deal recently and I thank him for examining the issues I have raised. I am glad to hear that some posts in specialist areas will be reclassified. I am sure Dún Laoghaire Senior College will be delighted to hear that.

I would like to draw the Minister of State's attention to another problem that arises in the context of the implementation of section 30. The Department of Education and Skills has indicated that section 30 will not apply to teachers working in the adult and community education sector, including adult education delivered at night.

However, the courses being delivered in both sectors are often similar or identical to full-time courses being delivered in further education colleges. This unfair difference in treatment must be urgently addressed.

Furthermore, teachers who are qualified to work in third level institutions such as institutions of technology do not require Teaching Council registration. This means teachers in institutes of technology will no longer be eligible for employment in further education colleges once section 30 has been commenced. These differences need to be recognised and accommodated by the Department. I urge the Minister to explore every possible avenue to reach an immediate and fair solution to these matters before 1 November.

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