In the context of the Government's plans to bring forward the education (parent and student charter) Bill, will the Minister confirm what plans it has to deal with the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland, ASTI, strikes in the coming weeks to prevent schools closing? Is the Government seriously intending to employ parents to supervise in schools when teachers are taking industrial action? Will the Minister give an assurance to parents that schools will remain open and that children will not be subject to the stress that the strikes will otherwise cause?

The Government's plan is to prevent strike action taking place, if at all possible, and discussions took place in the Department of Education and Skills yesterday involving departmental officials and representatives of the ASTI. We want to come to an agreement to ensure there is no disruption to the provision of children's education and that parents are not inconvenienced by taking their children out of school.

We will do everything we can to avoid strike action taking place, but any agreement with the ASTI has to be reached within the confines of the Lansdowne Road agreement. We have agreements with the majority of teachers' unions, the Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO, and the Teachers Union of Ireland, TUI, representing the vast majority of teachers, and that has allowed for a very significant uplift in pay for new entrant teachers, ranging from 15% to 21%. This demonstrates that the Lansdowne Road agreement is the best way to achieve public pay restoration in an affordable and sustainable way and is the best mechanism within which individual concerns in particular groups can be dealt. We have to stand by that agreement and we will.