asked the Minister for Education if he will make a statement on the request to him by the Vocational Teachers' Association that he institute an inquiry into the manner in which his Department has conducted its industrial relations with particular reference to the manner in which his Department has approached the implementation of the report of the Ryan Tribunal of April 1968.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ryan Tribunal Report.
318.
I am satisfied that there were no grounds which would have warranted a request for such an inquiry.
The whole question of teachers' salaries is as the Deputy no doubt appreciates a very complex matter and one that can be solved satisfactorily only with the co-operation of all concerned. The Deputy is, of course, aware that salary agreements have been reached with vocational and national teachers since his question was put down.
I have no desire to exacerbate an already difficult situation but bearing in mind that successive Ministers have given rather alarming exhibitions of equivocation on the industrial relations side in the fixing of teachers' salaries, and realising that Members of this House should be very circumspect about being critical of public servants in the performance of their duties, would the Minister not agree that senior officials of his Department seem to display an appalling ignorance and inability to resolve the situation which arose between April, 1968 and September, 1969? That was a period in which the Ryan Tribunal was handled in a most disgraceful manner by Ministers for Education in this country.
I would not accept at all what the Deputy has said about the senior officials in my Department. They are all very able and competent men. Since I was appointed Minister for Education I have spent a very considerable proportion of my time dealing with this very question. A person would need to be involved in it to realise how complicated it is. As the Deputy has said I think it might be better if we did not say very much more about it at present because we are still in the process of endeavouring to get agreement on the general principle of the Ryan Tribunal. I can assure the Deputy that, as far as I am concerned, very careful and personal consideration was given to this matter.
I appreciate the Minister's good faith.