Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cork Life Centre, on Winter's Hill, Cork, is a one-of-a-kind institution. It is a voluntary organisation offering an alternative learning environment to marginalised young people. The centre and its staff often offer one-to-one tuition in junior certificate and leaving certificate subjects but, for the staff of Cork Life Centre, value is placed on social education just as much as the academic. The centre focuses on fostering positive relationships between students and staff. Supports are continuously offered to students with regard to any challenges they might face inside the school environment or at home and in the students' community. The centre is not officially recognised as an alternative educational facility and funding until recently has been minimal. I note the extra supports the Minister has provided, primarily through one-off funding from the social inclusion section of her Department and through much-improved provision of co-operation hours in conjunction with Cork Education and Training Board, Cork ETB. I also commend the Minister on her visit to the centre during the summer. I understand she was greatly impressed by all she experienced during her visit.

Turning to the point of my Topical Issue matter, the Minister and I are both qualified teachers, are both registered with the Teaching Council and received payment commensurate with our qualifications. That is fair and right. The same is not being afforded to many of the staff in Cork Life Centre. Many of the staff there are not paid a rate commensurate with their qualifications or their experience. Some of these people have master's degrees. Others have spent a lifetime working with children with exceptional needs and students who come from very challenging backgrounds. It is time those suitably qualified staff working within this organisation had their qualifications reflected in their terms and conditions and in their pay packets. It is not appropriate for the current situation to continue.

Since the Minister's elevation to office, she has been a very progressive Minister for Education. She has initiated the school transport review, which was ignored by successive Ministers before her. There has been record spending on special education, now amounting to €2.7 billion. Most recently, in the budget she committed to €5 million to be diverted to counselling services in schools. The regularisation of qualified teaching staff and pay and conditions at Cork Life Centre could be another progressive footnote in that series of achievements. I beg the Minister to consider this in the interest of fairness and equality in the workplace.

Back in 2013, when I was lucky enough to buy my first house, I found it incredibly difficult to get a mortgage. I was still a temporary teacher; I had no permanency. I can understand the difficulties many in Cork Life Centre face at the moment. To get a mortgage, let alone a car loan, would be quite difficult in the current environment. We need to look at this, it needs to be dealt with and I would welcome the Minister's response in that regard.

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