To ask the Minister for the Economy whether she is committed to maintaining the current terms and conditions for further education college lecturers.

As employers, Further Education colleges are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of their own staff. I am aware that negotiations on lecturer’s pay and conditions of service have been taking place between college management and Trade Union Side through the Lecturers’ Negotiation Committee.

If agreement is reached through this process, a Business Case will be submitted to the Department to seek approval for any additional resources required. However, until that point, I am not in a position to comment other than to encourage both parties to fully engage in the negotiation process in order to reach a satisfactory conclusion as soon as possible.