Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I hope colleagues across the House will join me in condemning the violence and acts of criminality which arose during certain protests over the weekend and since. These were appalling acts, particularly when perpetrated by a particular elected representative, in terms of the detention of the Tánaiste in her car and the barracking and harassment of the Taoiseach and ordinary members of the public, in particular, the unfortunate 60 people graduating from An Cosan, a project founded many years ago by Senator Zappone who is doing tremendous work in Tallaght. It was unfair on those people who had worked so hard that their graduation ceremony was disrupted in such a way. It was also unfair on the majority of people opposed to water tax who have protested peacefully in the past, as is their democratic right. It is unfair to them when protests are disrupted and hijacked in this way by violent elements. I hope all of those involved, particularly those who are members of parties that are in opposition to water tax, will condemn the violence.

I would also like to put on the record my regret that the secondary teacher unions have taken the decision to strike in relation to junior cycle reforms. Last Thursday, I spoke at length in this House about the compromise offered by the Minister, Deputy O'Sullivan, to the teachers' unions. Many of us hoped at that point that there would be further negotiations on this issue. The Minister, Deputy O'Sullivan, has put forward reasonable proposals that have come more than half way to meeting the concerns of unions around external accreditation of examinations. I hope we will see a resolution of this matter, particularly given parents and pupils have come out in support of the reform.

I call on the Leader to provide time for a debate for gender equality among staff at third level. I do so in light of the ruling this week of the Equality Tribunal, which ruling I very much welcome, in a case taken by Dr. Micheline Sheehy-Skeffington against NUI Galway. The equality officer, in a robust judgment, found in favour of Dr. Sheehy-Skeffington and ordered the university to promote her and to pay her redress of a year's salary. The equality officer in her findings states: "It is clear that male applicants have a one in two chance of being promoted to senior lecture in NUI Galway while women who apply have less than a one in three chance of the same promotion." I spoke today to Dr. Sheehy-Skeffington. As she says, this case raises wider issues about the treatment of women in academia, promotion prospects based on gender and the appalling position of women in all Irish universities, particularly in science. A report from the European Commission in 2009 shows we are second only to Malta in terms of the glass ceiling index.

A debate on this issue would be welcome and I hope we can have such a debate very shortly in light of this ruling.