Dempsey may attend union conferences

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.

The Irish National Teachers Organisation general secretary, John Carr, will hold a debate on education issues with the minister as part of the union’s annual congress in Tralee next month.

After this was agreed on Tuesday, Department of Education officials met Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) leaders to suggest a similar arrangement for their conferences in Killarney and Galway, respectively.