Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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170. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on his discussions with ASTI; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29735/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My Department has held several meetings with ASTI since July in relation to their issues of concern and is making arrangements for those discussions to continue.

At the outset of these discussions, my Department offered that if ASTI suspended their directive on withdrawal from the Croke Park hours while talks between the union and the Department were taking place, the Department would suspend the implementation of measures associated with ASTI’s repudiation of the Lansdowne Road Agreement. This would provide time and space for meaningful engagement on ASTI’s issues and create a more constructive context within which talks could proceed. It would also avoid disruption in schools and would mean that thousands of ASTI teachers would receive the payment for supervision and substitution, as well as other benefits and protections under the Lansdowne Road Agreement.

This offer has been re-iterated to ASTI on a number of occasions since July. ASTI have unfortunately declined to take up the offer thus far, but it remains open to them.