Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

In May 2011 my Department issued circular 31/2011 which sets out a cascading set of measures for appointment of teachers with effect from September 2011. These measures are stringent and require schools to prioritise unemployed teachers over those in receipt of a pension where possible.

It should be remembered that the schools themselves employ teachers. Some 55,666 teachers were employed in primary, voluntary secondary and community and comprehensive schools and paid by my Department in December 2012 - this excludes VEC schools. Of those 55,666 only 153, 0.27%, of these teachers were also in receipt of a pension.

Feedback from schools indicates that the reasons for recruitment of retired teachers include the number and pattern of hours available at school level; the paucity of appropriately qualified and registered teachers who are not retired in certain areas, such as special needs; and the unavailability, at short notice, of appropriately registered teachers who are not retired.

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