Fine Gael leader, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, is prepared to “let Micheál Martin sweat” and did not seek a mandate to continue talks with Fianna Fáil from his party.

Irish primary school classes are among the largest and worst-funded in Europe, a report has found.

TEACHER unions have been urged by Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe to ease pressure for industrial action and support Government policies following concessions on a number of education cutbacks in the new Fianna Fáil-Green Party programme.

EDUCATION Minister Noel Dempsey may still turn up at the two second level teacher unions’ annual conferences next month despite insisting last week that he would not attend.