Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want the Minister to answer that question.

I also want to address a cost the Minister is going to impose on the Exchequer as a result of his not negotiating with lecturers, particularly with those in institutes of technology. Lecturers are doing 18 to 20 hours lecturing a week. Come next summer, when the Minister may not honour the moneys due to others, and then come next September, when those lecturers are likely to go back to the 16-hour or 18-hour week, will the Minister appoint extra staff? He will have to if he enforces this measure. If he enforces, they are likely to enforce back. Who will lose out? The State, the students and the quality of education will lose out. This is not right. We need to have a long-term view on this. If the Minister rejects them now, they are surely going to enforce and bring back their week's lectures to 16 hours and 18 hours, as opposed to the 18-hour and 20-hour weeks they do now. The Minister might claim that is to do with their vote.