Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Will the Minister give us a timeline for those proposals and outline the nature of them? I appreciate that some may require funding. The picture is one of a crisis and emergency. At primary level, there has a shortage of more than 2,500 teachers for the 2024-25 academic year. There are many unfilled posts, and a large number of schools have had to use unqualified staff to cover absences.

At secondary level, it was reported in a recent survey that 64% of schools have unfilled vacancies due to recruitment and retention difficulties and that 20% have been forced to drop subjects as a result. One of the measures that was previously introduced, but there seems to be a delay in relation to it this time round, is the likes of a time-bound provision for people who could do their droichead or induction in Ireland if they trained elsewhere. I know from the Teaching Council that this was due to happen in quarter 1 but that it been delayed slightly. Is that something the Minister would like to introduce?

See this speech in context