asked the Minister for Education if he will make a statement on the outcome of his recent discussions with the three teacher unions on the teachers' pay dispute; and if any further talks are planned on the dispute.

30.

asked the Minister for Education if he has further plans to meet with the teachers' unions for discussions with a view to the resolution of the present impasse in the educational services and particularly having regard to the uncertainty and anxiety surrounding the holding of the State examinations.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 and 30 together. I have had two meetings with representatives of the teacher unions, at which the pay dispute was discussed. These meetings were held on 19 and 28 February 1986.

An agreed statement was issued after the meeting on 28 February as follows:

Mr. Patrick Cooney, TD, Minister for Education and Senior Officials met representatives of the three teacher unions this afternoon. The meeting lasted one hour. There was an exchange of views on outstanding issues. The parties were unable to resolve their fundamental differences of opinion.

However, they indicated their intention to meet again.

The Minister has indicated that it is proposed to meet again. In view of the urgency now being expressed by both teachers and parents and many students will the Minister indicate when it is proposed to meet again? Will it be within the next few days?

No day is fixed but it will be on the earliest appropriate occasion.

Is the Minister aware that there is a willingness within the teachers' unions to have productive talks, and could he in turn drop what apparently is the Government's dogged attitude and so try to end the deadlock? I know that he is aware of the anxiety and the uncertainty surrounding the holding of the State examinations. In order to defuse this anxiety, to allay the legitimate fears of parents and to prevent the spread of uncertainty among the students, will he immediately as a matter of urgency initiate these talks again and keep at them until something productive emerges?

I indicated in reply to Deputy De Rossa, whose sensitivities in this matter apparently are greater than the Deputy's because this is a most sensitive situation, that a meeting would take place at an appropriate time. It does not help negotiations for the Opposition to label one party to the negotiations as being unduly dogged. The position we are maintaining is the position as resolved by Dáil Éireann.

That is the point exactly and the Minister has confirmed my very worst fears and the fears of parents and people everywhere. Will the Minister agree that in the end no problem is insoluble and every problem must have an ending point to it? The Government persist in saying that their line is as it was, as it was, as it was, and yet there is a willingness on the part of the other side to be productive. Would the Minister not agree that it behoves the Government also to be imbued with a fruitful and productive spirit in this very important matter?

The Deputy need have no worries concerning the attitude of the Government in this regard. However, I cannot enter into what would be tantamount to negotiations with the Deputy on this matter, as the House will understand.

I can understand that, of course.

The Minister indicated that meetings would take place at an appropriate time. For the benefit of the House and those involved in this dispute could he define what he considers to be an appropriate time and tell us whether this will be soon? The Minister, as indeed everybody else, is aware of the urgency involved in this issue.

I am indeed aware of the urgency and regret that children are not getting to school. It is difficult to define an appropriate time I would attempt to define it by saying that "appropriate" would be when both parties consider it to be auspicious that they should meet.