Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

I thank the Minister of State for attending this debate. I am disappointed that the Tánaiste is not present, but I hope the Minister of State will convey to her my views on this important issue. If the Government is serious about tackling educational disadvantage, it will re-examine its recent decision.

At issue is the supply of substitute teachers who provide cover in the event of classroom teachers being absent for one reason or another. On any one day in the primary school system, there is a demand for up to 800 qualified substitute teachers. Often, there is considerable difficulty in getting them, especially at short notice or in disadvantaged areas. This has been a live issue for some time and it is incredible that we are the only OECD country that does not have a proper national supply teacher system. In the absence of a system we have had a pilot scheme for a number of years that mainly covers disadvantaged areas. This supply teacher panel comprises some 60 teachers. The scheme has been working satisfactorily until now, but the Government inexplicably and indefensible took a decision recently to abolish the panel with effect from next September. This will have a significant negative impact on many schoolchildren, particularly in disadvantaged areas. I ask the Minister of State to reconsider the decision and to discuss the matter with the senior Minister in his Department.

No money can be saved by scrapping the panel unless the Government is planning to use untrained substitutes on an unqualified rate of pay, but even that would only be in the short term. The scheme was reviewed a number of years ago, a report of which came out in July 2006 and to which I will refer in one minute. Overall, the review of the operation of the pilot scheme was favourable.

Most of the panels are in disadvantaged communities where it has proven difficult to find trained substitute teachers. The advantage of a panel is the provision of a consistent service in a prompt manner so as that the children in those classes do not lose a half day, a day or even a few days in the event of difficulty finding a substitute. Someone is available to come in at 9 a.m. to take over from the absent teacher.

There is no doubt that this system has provided fully qualified and vetted teachers. The situation in certain schools is indefensible, namely, that many of the untrained people brought in are not vetted. There are associated risks. A strong advantage of an existing panel is the vetting of the teachers involved, which means there are no worries in that regard. Where a panel operates, a regular number of teachers are known to the schools and pupils, which helps the situation. If the panels are cut, principals' workloads will increase significantly.

The review to which I referred, the Talbot value for money report published in 2006, was positive about the pilot scheme. It sought to balance the economic issues with educational and policy issues. According to it, simple discontinuance of the panel would not be a satisfactory option, as it would lower substitution costs in the short term without doing anything to address the issues around the quality of casual substitute teaching, the difficulties in disadvantaged areas or the potential risks in casual substitution, such as temporary teachers not being vetted. It is somewhat disingenuous of the Minister in her replies to parliamentary questions to use this review as some kind of justification for the cost cutting measure - seeking to abolish the panels - in which she has engaged.

There is no question but that the pilot has been a success. I have been contacted by teachers in my constituency, specifically the Ballymun area, but it also applies in the Finglas area. There are three parishes in Ballymun where, unfortunately, every school meets the criteria for being classed as seriously disadvantaged. A panel consisting of five teachers has been operating in the area for a number of years. This means that classes in Ballymun are rarely, if ever, without a qualified teacher, which makes a considerable difference to the children's respect for the schools and to reaching their educational potential. It provides consistency and quality of teaching, which is important.

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