Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Department cannot make a decision for a school whether it opens or closes. The school has to make that decision on the basis of whether it can provide the level of supervision necessary to ensure the health and safety of the pupils. That is the responsibility of schools. We have leaned over backwards to put them into a position in which they could do that. We sought to have such an agreement with the ASTI but one was not forthcoming. This has put many schools in an impossible situation and they are not able to stay open in face of this.

As for the suggestion from Mr. Ed Byrne that something could be done, he described it himself as a musing and no formal offer has been advanced by the ASTI. We have a formal proposal on the table, namely, we would pay in full all the supervision and substitution moneys, extend new entrant pay up to 22% for newly qualified teachers, extend flexibility on Croke Park hours and extend promotional opportunities. These are conditional if the ASTI does the same as every other public servant and works the hours agreed under the Croke Park agreement. That is fair and equitable.

Deputy Thomas Byrne also raised the question of whether it is fair and equitable. The point has to be made, however, that it is not appropriate to negotiate with every public service union in public. One cannot hold these negotiations over the airwaves. One also has to bear in mind what the trade union IMPACT said, namely, that it would not be fair or equitable to enter into a sectorial arrangement with one union which does not respect the agreement that applies to every other union. We have to be fair and equitable to all the many groups which look to the Department of Education and Skills and other Departments for resources to meet their legitimate demands. These issues need to be negotiated under the process outlined by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, which is the way we can advance all these concerns.

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