Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I am more comfortable discussing this subject than sea pollution, harbours, etc. because, living in County Carlow, I have not had much experience of such matters.

I am not sure if the Minister of State is aware that primary school teachers spend either the first week of their holidays in July or the last week at the end of August attending courses to update their skills. In return, they are given back three personal leave days. I have never understood why teachers should be obliged to give up five days and be given only three in return. Some of the courses to which I refer are free but there are fees in respect of most of them, which teachers are obliged to pay. In addition, teachers do not receive travel allowances to attend. These people must sacrifice either the first or last week of their holidays and, in many instances, pay fees, and they do not receive allowances in respect of travel to and from the institutions at which they attend these courses. In addition, having been allocated three days of personal leave, teachers encounter difficulties in taking them during the school year because they are not provided with substitute cover in school. When I was a teacher, I often did not use my course days because it was not worth the hassle. It was easier to stay in school and teach than to inconvenience the other teachers on the staff by having one's children split up into different classes.

On a wet day such as today, there is nothing worse than answering a knock on the door at 9.20 a.m., only to find six, seven or eight new children waiting to enter one's class because their teacher is absent on a course day. This does not happen to any other profession. If, as a consequence of the Taoiseach's absence from work, the Minister of State were suddenly asked to process a big bundle of files and to carry out constituency work and tours on his behalf, in addition to doing his own work, he would quickly tell the Taoiseach or his officials what to do. However, this takes place in schools nationwide.

I believe teachers should receive three personal leave days in exchange for three course days. Moreover, when taking their days off — to which they are entitled — they should be given paid substitute cover. The present practice is unsatisfactory from the perspective of both the teachers affected and those colleagues who have the additional responsibility of six or seven more children in their classroom on such days. As for the health and safety aspect of this issue, the Minister of State is aware that many classrooms are totally inadequate in size anyway. However, when six or seven additional children are included, they become unsafe.

Recently, Members have seen the Minister for Finance, who is a good friend of the Acting Chairman, Senator Moylan, beaming at them on television as he boasted about the €3 billion extra revenue he has received lately. Moreover, the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, has been telling everyone that we do not need that money. My point is that a fraction of the money could be used to allocate substitute hours to teachers — who have completed a course at their own expense and in their own time — to allow them to install a paid substitute in the classroom.

This principle has already been established in the case of principals who work in schools. I presume there are many examples of small schools in County Donegal in which the principal has been granted administration days recently. This is a welcome step, which allows principals — and rightly — to install a paid substitute on such days. I simply ask that this facility should be also considered for ordinary classroom teachers, who are merely taking up their entitlements. This would avoid both putting children at risk and placing further pressure on the affected school's remaining staff members.