Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Under similar trade agreements, countries have been sued for massive amounts of money by particular multinational and transnational companies. I was in the education system as a teacher for many years, so I know what our education system is about. I think we have to be concerned about the possibility of increasing commercialisation and privatisation of our education system if TTIP includes education. Approximately two weeks ago, I attended a seminar organised by the Irish Federation of University Teachers and the Teachers' Union of Ireland at which the topic of higher education as a public good was discussed. Concern was expressed at the seminar, and the feeling was that our colleges, institutions of education and universities have to be independent in order to encourage, enable and facilitate independent, challenging and innovative thinking. That will be threatened and undermined if education is part of TTIP, because the ability of the Government to frame public education policy in a way that ensures the public good would be limited. We are all public representatives. Surely our driving force is to serve the public good. How can we possibly be involved in concluding a trade agreement that undermines and jeopardises the public good? At the very least, can the Taoiseach allow for a debate in this Chamber on all the implications of TTIP? Some presentations were made at the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, but there is a need for a full debate here. I am asking for that to happen.

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