Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

Has the Minister recognised that there is an existing loophole in the arrangements affecting untrained substitute teachers? I understand that there are 1,000 of those teachers within the system and there are no means by which they may be vetted properly. This was the subject of a report in a newspaper about three weeks ago. Has the Minister investigated that, is his Department aware of it and how can we ensure the safety of our children and the veracity of a vetting system when in excess of 1,000 untrained teachers are sloshing in and out of the system without any procedures to follow?

See this speech in context