Mr. Tomás Ó Ruairc:

The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act provides that a school principal, as an employer, must ensure that his or her employees are vetted before they work in a school. That means school employees cannot work in a school without being vetted. Where we come into the picture is with the Teaching Council (Amendment) Act 2015, which specifically provides for our role in promoting the protection of children and vulnerable adults. Therefore, the Teaching Council has been designated the responsible body, on behalf of the system, for vetting teachers. The e-vetting system provides that a person gets his or her disclosure released to his or her smartphone or tablet which is a very confidential and secure manner. That person then shows the disclosure to the school principal, which satisfies his or her needs. One of the first cohorts that we tackled in respect of vetting, once the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act had commenced, was the substitute cohort because we understood, and we were advised by the Department, that they are vital for keeping the system going. I have outlined the e-vetting system and how it works. I cannot be clearer about the matter.

The establishment of a standing group is one of the key recommendations. It will help to ensure that short-term solutions do not become long-term problems. I am not entirely sure whether the standing group that we and the report had in mind is the same as a steering group. I presume that aspect will be clarified in time.

In terms of a review of the subject criteria, we are already beginning to consider the matter because we are conscious that the granularity of the criterion may be a factor, given the hours involved, the culture and the casualisation of the profession that have been referred to other speakers. We are considering, for example, the possibility of creating families of subjects, in terms of the criteria for languages and the criteria for sciences, thus making it easier for schools to deploy teachers. We would retain the same standards of level 8 qualifications and 60 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System credits in terms of the amount of time one spends studying. We are accelerating our work on the area.

The Migrant Teacher Project was mentioned, which brings me to the comments made by the Chairman.