Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

As I explained earlier, discussions on the existing cohort of teachers are ongoing. All new teachers are vetted within a relatively short space of time. I am informed that the current average processing time, based on the figures for the last couple of months, is between four and five weeks. That is in contrast with an average processing time of six weeks in 2009. The issues with the existing cohort of teachers will be dealt with on a phased basis.

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