Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. Let me be clear that I am not saying there has not been significant progress made under the Minister and in his Department with regard to teaching, the reduction in the pupil-teacher ratio, the increase in budgets and the increase in standards in both primary and secondary levels. This specific issue has been brought to my attention by the CPSMA and I feel duty bound to act on it given the figures. Many of them are disputed by the Minister's account. Nevertheless, it is clear that 90% of schools have indicated in a recent survey that they have difficulty sourcing a substitute teacher and 82% of them have indicated that it has been more difficult this year than in any previous year. These figures speak for themselves.

However, it must be accepted that the Minister has increased the budget by €25 million, or 25%, this year over last year. It appears that there might be some structural issues in certain areas. There are difficulties in getting substitute teachers in Dublin, in particular. That might be something that could be reviewed in due course because it is a particular pressure point. Indeed, that is why I am coming under pressure in this regard. I would be interested to hear what the solutions might be in that respect in the future. The CPSMA has outlined a number of potential actions for alleviating the substitution issue which it would be more than happy to share with the Minister and his Department. The Minister might be interested in that.

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