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

The agreement is a cross-Government agreement involving the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. It provides that consideration of the issue of newly-qualified pay will occur within 12 months of the commencement of the agreement, so there is a deadline. Obviously, there will be discussions if some unions wish to move that, but an outer limit of 12 months has been set. That is clear.

As I indicated in my initial response, equality of treatment must be considered across the spectrum. We have a responsibility for children with special needs, for young people who are seeking access to apprenticeships and for investment needs across the education system. Every year we must provide for 15,000 additional school places - build and equip them and provide teachers and support in them. Our treatment of everyone in the public service must be fair and equal. They have expectations of us. We met the teachers' unions and negotiated an agreement which met three quarters of what was sought. It provides for an entry pay level for a newly-qualified teacher of €35,600 from next January. That is treating everybody who has a legitimate expectation of my Department in a fair and equal manner. Indeed, similar expectations occur in housing and health and they are the subject of debates in this House all the time. We must balance those issues and the Lansdowne Road agreement and its successor provide for that. It is a framework within which we can make the balances and choices that we believe are fair and equal to all who have legitimate expectations of us.

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