Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I move amendment No. 5:

In page 9, subsection (4), between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following:

"or

(d) a person who immediately before 1 April 2004 was enrolled in a recognised course of training as a primary teacher.".

The issue is simple and deals with equity. The Act gives recognition to the fact that people in the Garda training college in Templemore are deemed not to be new entrants. The same recognition should be extended to trainee and student teachers in colleges of education. I can give many reasons for this. First, there is no equity in the Act. People doing their B.Ed. are only qualified to do one job when they finish. They have made a decision and have the clear expectation on the basis of the decision they took when they entered college. They have a legal case in terms of expectation and of the position that existed when they started college. Little would be lost by extending to them the same approach and understanding as is properly being extended to recruits in the Garda college.

I asked somebody why the extension was granted to people in the Garda college and not to other groups and was told that it was due to the fact that they were covered and recognised by legislation. That is irrelevant to whether they will be covered by this legislation. This is a question of equity and the provision as it stands is grossly unfair. Any reasonable person can see that these student teachers have made a decision to enter a college of education and that their qualification only entitles them to be employed in a primary school. On that basis they should be regarded as being new entrants on the day they walk into the colleges of education. I ask the Minister to accept this reasonable amendment.