Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú:

We have taken a number of steps. We have reduced the number of retired teachers being employed and issued information notes requesting schools to prioritise unemployed teachers over those in receipt of a pension. We set out a set of measures that schools need to follow for the appointment of temporary teachers. This requires schools to prioritise them. We have also reduced the pay of retired teachers returning to teaching to ensure the reward was not there for people. Consequently, a number of different steps have been taken and there is a significant financial disincentive for teachers to retire. We also monitor the number of days being worked by retired teachers and it has declined. These are the arrangements that are in place. There are much reduced instances of retired teachers being employed by schools for longer than ten days. That number has fallen as a result of-----