Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As I explained, teachers are reminded of their obligation to register. If they do not renew their registration, they are reminded again. There are checks and balances and repeated reminders. While I appreciate that teachers, like the rest of us, endure many pressures, the Teaching Council issues plenty of reminders. As I said, given that the council is not the body that pays teachers' salaries, it would not be appropriate for it to be responsible for dealing with the issue. I hope that even by debating it, we will send the message again to teachers that they can check their registration very simply, that they receive a reminder every year and another if they do not register. While the Teaching Council knows whether a person is registered as a teacher, it may not be aware whether he or she is working. Therefore, it would be unreasonable to expect it to do what the Deputy suggests. I am not accepting the amendment.

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