Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will take the opportunity to highlight that the IUA has been very clear that universities are committed to providing stable and fulfilling careers for staff and strongly rejects any suggestion whatsoever that deliberate attempts were being made to circumvent employment legislation. As I have spoken about measures taken by the Department to address precarity through increased funding and staffing, reform of the ECF and supports for researchers, it should, therefore, be clear that this Government shares the concerns around precarious working and its implications at individual and institutional level. This is a multifaceted question and there is not one simple answer to the variety of issues and circumstances that have been referenced today. There is more work to do in defining exactly who and what we mean by precarious working and these conversations will need to be underpinned by accurate data that all parties can better understand and agree in the challenge we are trying to address. Again, I will take back the Senator's concerns to the Minister, Deputy Harris, and they are noted. However, significant work has been done by Government and by the Minister to try to these issues.