Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Boyd Barrett is right in saying that this is about a balance between the public interest and the right of teachers to their privacy. It is about getting that balance right and making a decision as to where that balance should lie. That is why I have indicated that I will bring forward an amendment in the Seanad to provide that the balance should be, by default, in public but that in certain situations a hearing could be held in private. The main reason for this is transparency. This is about the public interest and also about ensuring we protect the reputation of teachers. We have heard complaints for years that it is very difficult to get rid of a bad teacher. That is a commonly held view but I would reiterate that the vast majority of teachers are excellent. That said, we need to have a process whereby teachers can be removed from the register of the Teaching Council if complaints against them are upheld. I should point out that 22 of the 37 members of the Teaching Council are teachers. In effect, this is teachers regulating their own profession, which is also the case in other jurisdictions.

See this speech in context