Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I understand the role of the Department is to ensure that it is sustainable from a fiscal and expenditure perspective but that is the heart of the issue and it is why the employment framework was introduced in the first place. I welcome the establishment of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and I, like many working in the sector, took that as a signal that the Government was finally ready to take higher education out of austerity mode. That is over two years ago and 12 years since the austerity measure of the employment control framework was established. This essentially limits the ability of colleges to hire permanent staff. I have been repeatedly assured by the Minister, Deputy Harris, that the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is in regular engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. How far along are we in the process, what are the blockages and when can workers in the sector expect progress? I take on board what the Minister is saying about the additional staff but if they are on precarious hours and not on proper contracts then that makes a mockery of it.

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