Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

I cannot comment on individual schools. It is appropriate that I mention here that at all times I was open to having discussions with the various education partners. When they came to meet me, they indicated they may have some suggestions and I indicated to the education committee that discussions were going on in the background. I bring it to the attention of the Dáil that those discussions have continued and proposals have been made by second level management bodies. These have identified that annual savings of €16 million on substitution can be made not only in the current year but on a continuing basis.

These savings essentially involve replacing an open-ended or demand-led availability of cover for uncertified sick leave and official school business costing €21 million per annum with an allocated or budgeted scheme costing €5 million per annum. This is a constructive and positive approach and I will make €2.7 million available to secondary schools for the remainder of the school year to provide each school with a limited number of hours of substitution cover outside of the supervision and substitution scheme. During this period, I intend for there to be a full review of the substitution and supervision scheme in conjunction with school management bodies and teachers' unions with a view to taking up the additional €2.7 million expenditure. I will also be open to similar constructive suggestions from the primary school management bodies.

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