Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I do not disagree with any of it. I look forward to hearing what is said about the review. However, I was careful not to argue about the number of teachers available to the school. This is not the problem. The staffing support, in terms of its hours, is sufficient. The problem is that the teachers are all changing while these children need stability. They build relationships, which is where the difficulty lies. The Acting Chairman, Senator Kitt, will appreciate this as like myself, he has an educational background.

This could be done for a small amount of money as it is the difference between employing someone on a part-time basis as opposed to permanently. It would be somewhat, but not a great deal, more expensive. One could still carry this out in such a way that a number of schools were covered and the people involved could be assigned to a panel or something similar. However, the teachers would then have security of tenure and would build up relationships with the schools and the other staff. This is why I am asking that it be done. There are three or four different ways to do it. I will ask the school to make a representation as to how it might best be done and copy it to the Minister for Education and Science. I ask that its representation be taken into consideration in the proposed review.