Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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This is the first big meeting I have attended and I am trying to catch up. It was noted that 430 more teachers have decided to retire than was originally estimated. The Minister said that teachers can retire at any age between 50 and 65 and that only 10% of teachers retire on age grounds. I apologise if this question sounds stupid, but is there any deadline for teacher retirements? Must they give the Department advance notice of one, two or three months?

As I said, this area is new to me. The Chairman raised a question about whether contracted teachers or permanent teachers cover the duties of newly retired teachers. Are the retirement figures consistent across the country or do they apply particularly to large centres of population such as Dublin?