Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Has the Minister explored any alternatives to the particular provisions set out in this section? Should his party and Fianna Fáil vote these proposals through, when does he expect to enact them, or are they simply something he proposes to hold as a threat? Everybody in this House, including the Minister, should acknowledge that the vast bulk of the membership of the teacher unions, including the executive officers, acted in a way that showed extraordinary support for the State during the course of the economic crash and the mass unemployment that ensued. They did so at a time when the challenges faced by teachers and others involved in education at all levels were exceptionally difficult. The Minister ought to give due regard to what these people, and people in the wider public service, have done for this country in its hour of greatest need. In the midst of an economic emergency that led to 330,000 people losing their jobs, it cannot be disputed that public servants did their bit.

I am aware that the Minister has a very high regard for education, as does the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, as an important glue that binds Irish society. Parents in this country see that their children can advance through the education system, that academic achievement is not just for the privileged who go to private schools and avail of private tutoring, and that ordinary people - people like the Minister and me - can and do go to college.

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