Joe O'Toole (Independent)

It will bring the work of the Teaching Council to a halt. It has not created a problem to date, but it certainly will in the future. We need to give the council the freedom to show us how well it can do its job. If there are problems with its work, we can rein it in, but we should let it off for the time being. The people involved in the council have enthusiasm, energy, knowledge, professionalism and commitment. They can make it work. They are providing great leadership. The best of people are involved in the council. We should give them their head by allowing them to do what they have to do. We should trust them to deliver an even better teaching profession than the great teaching profession we have at the moment.

The Bill before the House, which has been introduced in the interests of all our futures, represents a great step forward. I compliment the Minister, the Members on all sides of the House and the officials outside the House who were involved in the production of the Bill and the 2001 Act. This is a good day for education. We can rely on the Teaching Council to deliver all we require of it and to meet all the demands we make of it. This Bill will allow it to ensure that the teaching profession at primary and post-primary levels will continue to be a shining example and a gem among the educational structures of Europe.