Mr. Tomás Ó Ruairc:

I want to get to a couple of queries raised in the earlier session and will do so as succinctly as possible. There are almost 100,000 teachers on the register. The Department has the employment statistics. Working from memory, the chief inspector's report which was launched recently stated there were approximately 60,000 full-time equivalent teachers in the primary and post-primary system. That figure does not include the number in the further education sector which is also covered by the register. It does not include the number of substitute teachers either, which figure could be between 15,000 and 20,000. It can be confirmed by the Department. The register deals with the supply of teachers who are available to work in the system. Working from memory, I think there are approximately 60,000 full-time equivalent teachers in the primary and post-primary system.

Reference has been made to the challenge in reapplying for registration. It is worth noting that 86% of the 98,000 teachers on the register complete their renewals online. It is a very straightforward process. It costs €65 before tax, or roughly €38 after the tax credit is allowed for. A specific provision in the Act requires anyone who falls off the register for any reason to go through the full reapplication process. Obviously, we would have no objection if the Minister or the Department were to see fit to amend that part of the Act. I have explained what is provided for in the Act, as it stands. We work very closely with people outside the State. I will come back to that query. Retired primary teachers who have sought in recent months to get back onto the register, perhaps having originally been trained in some of the old training colleges that are now closed, might be unable to obtain transcripts. There is an internal process to work around that problem in cases in which people simply are unable to obtain transcripts. While we work very hard with candidates in such situations, there are basic requirements that we must meet. The number opting to renew online - it can be done from anywhere in the world - has been increasing for some time. Some 86% of renewals are now completed in this way.

Each year we process between 3,000 and 3,500 registrations of newly qualified teachers. It is a fast-tracked process because the higher education institutions transfer the results directly to us after the summer examinations. The process used by newly qualified teachers to apply for registration differs from that used for standard registrations. We issue forms to newly qualified teachers in their graduating year. We speak to all graduating students in every college across the country throughout the academic year. The visits are ongoing. We outline the vetting process, the character reference form and the various other forms that must be completed. Typically, when all of the documentation has been received, including the vetting documentation, there is a turnaround period of between two and four days in the case of an Irish registration application in respect of a newly qualified teacher in a college. We will be more than happy to look at particular queries or representations members of the committee may have received in respect of which other issues may have arisen. We have gone to the extent of banning staff holidays in August to ensure applications will be processed as quickly as possible.

Deputy Thomas Byrne raised a number of concerns. I am happy to reassure the committee that we have been taking this problem very seriously in the five-year period since 2013. We have been working on it for quite some time. One part of the Striking the Balance report mentions that this problem was foreseen and emphasises the need to get a handle on the data management aspect of it, for example.

We were asked why the consultative forum had not been brought forward sooner. It is very much about stakeholder engagement. Our process of engagement with stakeholders has been predicated on the notion that we do not want short-term solutions to become long-term problems. We are aware that if we rush into it too quickly, we could create long-term problems. When in October we flagged the May date, broadly everyone seemed to be happy with it. I can certainly say there were no objections to it. When we became aware of the increasingly serious nature of the problem, we announced off our own bat that we intended to bring the date forward and this was welcomed by the stakeholders. We are keen to maintain this united front.

Deputy Thomas Byrne asked where the teaching supply steering group was going. The terms of reference are very much a matter for the Department. We want the standing group mentioned in the report to be established, particularly from the point of view of data management. We have had this since the Investment in Education report of 1965 which called for ongoing and proactive management of teacher supply. We now need to bring it to a head in line with the recommendation made in our report. The seriousness with which the issue is being treated prompted our response to Brian Mooney's column, my response in particular. I was not suggesting everything was hunky-dory in the garden - far from it - but I was highlighting the fact that we were making progress, even if there was a lot more to be done.

I can give a direct answer to Deputy Thomas Byrne's question about responsibility for teacher supply. Our two functions under the Act are to advise the Minister formally on teacher supply and to promote and regulate the profession. We have a legitimate interest in that regard. It is absolutely the case that ultimate responsibility in policy terms lies with the Department of Education and Skills.