Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Like other Members, I would like to send my congratulations to president-elect Trump. I am sorry poor Hillary Clinton has not made it but, as a nation, we will have to deal with the American President. We have a great relationship as a country with America and no other country has the same access we have on St. Patrick's Day.Very few other countries have a national day when the US President automatically meets a leader. I hope that next year our Taoiseach, whoever it is, will be there to meet Donald Trump with the bowl of shamrock. As Senator Leyden said, it is possible that may come from his own golf course.

Nobody has mentioned it yet but I welcome the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland, ASTI, and the Department attending talks at the Teachers Conciliation Council with the chair, Ms Anna Perry. It is very important. I raised the issue the week before the mid-term, in that we were looking at one further scheduled day of school because of strike action on the Thursday before the break. It is very welcome that last night the ASTI agreed to suspend its action, although we cannot be complacent about it. I am the chairman of a school board and the action of the ASTI caused enormous difficulty for school boards, pupils, parents and teachers. It would be helpful if the Leader could get the Minister in to speak to us about the difficulties so we could air them. According to the ASTI deputy general secretary, there is a very big gap between the Department and the ASTI. I welcome the development but we cannot be complacent. It would helpful to have the Minister before us to explain where he is going on this. We cannot allow a position to develop where more than half the secondary schools in the country are closed with parents and pupils being seriously discommoded. Students, particularly those in exam years and studying for junior and leaving certificates, should not be put in a position where they cannot have their normal curriculum dealt with. They may be competing with other pupils who are getting taught because they are in a school with Teachers Union of Ireland or non-ASTI staff.