Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I am fully appreciative of the excellent work that is done by teachers, SNAs, school secretaries, caretakers and school leaders every day in our schools. If a member of staff is pregnant, under no circumstances would we want them to be challenged in any way in the school environment. Therefore, we have the health and safety aspect of it and, equally, the Deputy referenced assault leave. Under no circumstances do we want assaults to happen in our schools. There is a body of work under way to support schools in this regard. Notwithstanding that, the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform determines the terms and conditions of leave schemes for public servants, including teachers and SNAs. In this regard, the limits imposed in the assault leave circular for teachers were agreed with the education partners in conjunction with the Department. An SNA who has exhausted the maximum period of paid leave under the scheme-----

See this speech in context