Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his comments. I agree completely that the current model is flawed and needs to be re-examined. That is why we welcomed the establishment of the working group under Mr. Eamon Stack. We await its recommendations in due course. Now that we are looking at early spring 2014 - probably a further 12 months for it to be implemented, whatever the recommendations are - we cannot have another situation where students are facing cuts in hours, as they were in May and June this year. It is all well and good to say that a working group has been established, will report in spring 2014 and that its recommendations will be implemented, but in the meantime students should not have to suffer as a result of that delay.

Until such time as the report has been published and a new model has been implemented, the commitment given this year regarding the maintenance of hours at current levels and the additional 500 posts, which have been welcomed, must be honoured.

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