I propose to take Questions Nos. 1016, 1019, 1020 and 1045 together.
My Department gives support and funding to a number of VECs to operate Outdoor Education Centres. There are 12 centres in all. The Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) lodged a claim with my Department for a substantial pay increase on behalf of the Directors of each of these Centres.
Following protracted negotiations, my Department consented to an ad-hoc referral of the claim to the Labour Court. The Labour court subsequently issued a non-binding recommendation in respect of this claim.
The current position is that the recommendation is being actively considered by officials of both my Department and the Department of Finance.
While it is acknowledged that this matter is outstanding for a period of time, I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that the recommendation needs to be fully considered in light of the issues it raises in the context of the current fiscal situation.
However, I expect that a final decision will be communicated to the interested parties shortly.