Joe O'Toole (Independent)

The position is that we have to take this through as we see it. When students are making decisions about their future at leaving certificate stage, as Senator Ormonde said, they might change their minds many times along the way either before they make a final decision on filling in the form or when they make their choices afterwards. There are choices to be made at all times and we have to allow for that. The focus of our interest is those who followed through on the choices they made. If these people do not continue on to become teachers then, as Senator Ormonde said, it does not affect them. This is a group of people who opted for a profession. After making a decision they need to get themselves trained and qualified. At that stage they have given a life commitment to a chosen career, although that might change along the way. However, it does not matter because even if they entered the profession in the current circumstances for five years, they would still have a preserved pension entitlement which they could draw at 60 years of age. That is a simple example of what I am talking about. There is a clear statable legal case in this respect and we should be mindful of this when processing legislation. It is reasonable that we should make sure young people are employed on the basis of the conditions that obtained when they opted in. This is not rocket science but simply involves treating people in a fair way. We have, in the legislation, allowed garda recruits to be treated differently to those in teacher training college and I ask that they be treated in the same way.

Students make a choice to become teachers, they spend three years attending college and then they take up their duties. I do not know if the same applies to Army cadets. All I am saying is that the system is not fair. My amendment would introduce some equity into the system and I appeal to the Minister of State to accept it.