Ms Deirdre O'Connor:

I might address the question on how supply panels work because I did not have an opportunity to get to that. We do not need to look back very far. A pilot programme of supply panels for primary schools was established in the 1990s. It basically allocated a teacher for a number of other teachers who were working. I think the figure was about 35 or 38. For every 35 teachers there was a supply teacher and they were placed on panels. The panels were administered locally by a principal in a particular school and everybody knew that principal was in charge of the supply panel. A school with a vacancy for a casual substitute for up to about three weeks would ring up that principal seeking a substitute and the principal dispatched the substitute to go to the school.

There were two things about it. At the time we did not have the clear regulation we have now about qualified teachers. It was a way of ensuring that qualified teachers were teaching. That is still an issue. Senator Ó Clochartaigh referred to trying to find whoever could possibly do it to come into the school. We cannot have unqualified personnel coming in to babysit or mind our children; that is not sustainable from an educational point of view. The supply panel system ensured that qualified teachers were going into schools. It also provided security of employment for substitute teachers because they were paid the full salary for the year and were available to teach.

The scheme was reviewed. I urge the members of the committee to go back and look at the Talbot report on the supply panels. It is sometimes presented that supply panels were an expensive way to go. While they are more expensive than just providing substitution on a day-to-day basis, the Talbot report was very clear that terminating them was not the way to go. It recommended that they should be reviewed, reconfigured and improved to provide substitute cover.

Unfortunately in 2010 and 2011 those panels were simply abolished. It was a matter of controversy here - there was a debate in the Seanad. When did we realise it was going to be a big crisis? It was probably in 2010 or 2011 when those supply panels were reduced.

Some of the issues with the supply panels related to their administration. Things have moved on in the years since that report was compiled. One of the issues was about how long it took for the teachers to be contacted and get out to their schools in the morning. However, we now have social media, mobile phones, the online claims system etc. Many of the administrative issues could be addressed through modern technology.

We believe we should have supply panels at primary level. They provide security of supply of substitute teachers. They provide security of employment for those teachers and we believe that is the way to address this problem.