Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes, but if it is a registered teacher or a retired teacher, for example, whose registration may have lapsed, they will be in the position. The person will also have to provide data on when the tuition was provided and over what period. Hopefully that is of some help.

Many Deputies have raised the retention of teachers. This was a year for the schools to hold onto the teachers but when the teachers know that the numbers are not going to be there for a given year, they move on and many of them have been reappointed at this stage. Where we have teachers looking for work on a substitute basis or on the supplementary panel or there is any availability of teachers, there will be demand in September. I want to make that clear. I have been contacted by a few teachers who have concerns and were given advice because they are immunocompromised or because of their health needs they cannot go into the classrooms themselves so we need to have substitute teachers ready for that.

Whether existing bus routes are extinguished all depends on the level of demand. If the students are there, and they were there last year, there has been no change in policy. The only change in policy that I introduced last year was to include the second closest school for post-primary. There is still an issue with primary but there might be commonsense about where we are going with school transport as part of the review.

Maidir leis na daoine agus na daltaí scoile speisialta, aontaím leis an Teachta go bhfuil dúshlán agus dualgas orainn faoin treo is fearr dóibh. B’fhéidir go mbeidh deiseanna ann tríd an samhradh nó tríd an bhliain chun tacaíocht nó cuidiú a thabhairt do na tuismitheoirí uile. Tá siadsan faoi bhrú maidir leis an mbearna thar an 12 lá i Márta agus táim cinnte agus dóchasach go mbeimid ag breathnú ar scéim don samhradh atá ag teacht taobh istigh de chúpla seachtain. B’fhéidir go mbeimid ag bogadh ar aghaidh leis an scéim sin agus má tá deiseanna nó buntáistí á bhaint amach as an scéim, b’fhéidir go mbeimid ag tabhairt tacaíochta amach anseo sa bhliain seo chugainn.

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