Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Teaching Council is considering the longer-term issue of the future supply of all teachers, including substitute teachers. I accept that the restrictions which have been imposed on the recruitment of retired teachers could be re-examined as a short-term measure. There would have to be an assessment of whether a panel would work. Short-term opportunities tend to arise in this area at short notice. The question of whether any panel can facilitate an instant response will have to be considered. There are good websites that are often very successful, but at times there can be restrictions on local availability due to the nature of the positions on offer. There is a genuine difficulty in this respect. I will have a look at this issue, but I do not want to commit to having a solution when there is no immediate path here. We will assess what can be done. We will look at the various suggestions that have been made, including Deputy Burton's suggestion with regard to the INTO and the suggestions that have been made by management bodies, to see whether we can respond more effectively.

See this speech in context