Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

What currently happens when a teacher whose registration is not up to date becomes employed in a school? As Deputy Boyd Barrett pointed out, this has happened on a number of occasions. The teachers have been teaching for a few weeks and it is only when the pay cheque does not come through on pay day that they realise their registration is not up to date and that they are not liable to be paid for the period they have already worked in the school. How can there be a situation that a teacher whose registration is not valid, because he or she has not paid, can commence work and be working, yet the school has not checked that or the teacher, for whatever reason, would not be aware of the fact that his or her registration is not up to date? Surely there could be some means, in legislation or otherwise, whereby a better checking mechanism is put in place to ensure the school verifies that the teacher's registration is up to date and that it will be in a position to pay them. What is happening is a sign that the schools are not checking that a teacher's registration is valid and up to date, and I would have thought that would have been a requirement when somebody starts a job.