Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for coming to the House today to update us on the recommendations in the report by Peter Ward. As the Minister is aware, following on from the Haddington Road agreement, it was agreed that a special committee would be set up to assess the very real problem within our primary and secondary school system of part-time and fixed-term contracts for teachers. The situation has become so chronic that it is estimated that 35% of all teachers teaching in secondary schools are on fixed-term or part-time contracts and cannot get permanency. The figure at primary level is estimated to be lower at 9%.

The Ward report made some very significant recommendations after a very thorough assessment of the problems and the type of solutions that could be put forward to address them. Peter Ward also recommended having specific timelines and suggested that most of the recommendations should kick in from this September. Will the Minister update us today and assure us that these recommendations will be acted upon and implemented?

The period for gaining permanency through contracts of indefinite duration, CID, is four years for most professions. The Ward report recommended that from this September, after two years in either fixed-term or part-time employment in a school, a teacher would become eligible for a CID. Will the Minister confirm whether this will be the case?

The Ward report also recommended that any teacher employed on a CID should hold an employment status equal to that of teacher who is permanent. He recommended that teachers who qualify for a CID on the basis of two years employment in accordance with his recommendations would be liable to redeployment in circumstances where their subject or subjects become surplus to the school with which they have the CID. This is to ensure that there continues to be some flexibility for schools to manage their affairs.

The report makes a recommendation in respect of teachers replacing teachers on career break or on secondment. Up to now at secondary and primary level, someone who has replaced a teacher on career break or on secondment does not qualify for a CID, even if they have been there for a number of years. This is very unfair. Some secondments and career breaks can last for five years, yet people who take up those positions have not been in a position to qualify for a CID.

It is crucial that another recommendation is delivered this September.

I am speaking of teachers on contracts of indefinite duration and for less than full-time hours who subsequently work additional hours. I am asking that in such cases teachers be entitled to a contract in respect of the additional hours after one year. That is a fair proposal and it is important it is delivered on this September. I hope the Minister is in a position to update the House on the current status in this regard.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue as it gives me an opportunity to provide an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the expert group on fixed-term and part-time employment in primary and second level education. As stated by the Deputy, the Haddington Road agreement provided for the establishment of an expert group to consider and report on the level of fixed-term and part-time employment in teaching, having regard to the importance for teachers of employment stability and security and taking account of system and school needs and Teaching Council registration requirements.

The group was established and chaired by Mr. Peter Ward SC, who consulted extensively with all the stakeholders and interested parties. The report noted the high level of casualisation of employment, particularly in second level teaching where 35% of teachers are fixed-term, part-time, or both. The equivalent figure in primary teaching is 9%. An over-reliance on fixed-term and part-time employment has implications for the security of employment of teachers and has led to concerns about the future attractiveness of teaching as a professional career, with implications for the quality of the education provided to pupils. The report of the expert group was published in September 2014. At the time of publication, I gave a commitment to implement the report with effect from September 2015.

The report recommends a suite of measures which will lead to more job security for fixed-term and part-time teachers. It recommends seven changes should take place from the commencement of the 2015 school year. These changes would allow fixed-term teachers to acquire permanent status more easily and quickly. The report also provides for extended redeployment arrangements that give school management more flexibility in redeploying teachers in the event of mismatch between teacher qualifications and the curricular needs of schools.

At the time of publication, I gave a commitment to implement the report with effect from September 2015. Following consultation with the education partners, circulars 23/2015 and 24/2015 detailing the arrangements and procedures for the implementation of the recommendations of the report were published on 27 March. These arrangements and procedures, as set out in these circulars, are for implementation from the commencement of the 2015-2016 school year. Copies of the circulars are available on my Department's website. The circulars address issues such as the granting of an initial contract of indefinite duration, in respect of which the timeframe has been reduced from three years to two years, and the other issues raised by the Deputy. There was extensive discussion of these issues with the various stakeholders in education prior to publication of the circulars. My understanding is that it is accepted that the recommendations are appropriately captured in the circulars. However, I have not yet had any feedback in that regard and would be interested in any feedback in that regard from the Deputy. The intention is to implement the recommendations fully for the next school year.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome that the Minister has published the circulars and that there will be some movement in terms of implementation of the key recommendations this September.

The Ward report also makes medium and long term recommendations and, in particular, calls for the putting in place of a structured process for the medium and long-term planning of teacher provision with a view to better matching the qualifications of teachers with the subject requirement of pupils. What is the current position with regard to that recommendation and what are the Minister's plans in this regard? The difficulty is that there does not appear to be any planning in relation to ensuring we have a supply of teachers in key subject areas, in respect of which future demand is likely to be high. It is important that recommendation is acted upon.

Another key issue not addressed in the Ward report is newly qualified teachers being probated, which is a disincentive to current students considering a career in teaching. Many newly qualified teachers are finding it exceptionally difficult to get the level of hours required to ensure they are probated. The Minister will be aware that to be probated, a newly qualified teacher requires a minimum of 100 days teaching in at least two 50-day blocks. I am aware of many teachers who after three or four periods of part-time teaching still have not managed to be probated. This issue needs to be addressed. The Department needs to grapple with how it can assist students in this regard.

Another issue which is making the profession less attractive is qualification allowances. The incentive previously in place to ensure teachers continued to upskill and engage with further education courses has been abolished. That decision should be reviewed by the Minister. Overall, the profession has not been appropriately valued in recent years. It is important the outstanding measures to which I have referred are addressed by the Department. I welcome that the recommendations of the Ward report will be acted upon or implemented this coming September.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The medium-term recommendations are still under discussion. I have made it very clear that I intend to implement all the recommendations. In terms of opportunities generally, the Deputy will be aware that owing to growing demographics, additional teachers are being employed each year. This provides us with an opportunity to address many of the issues raised by him.

The probation of newly qualified teachers is an issue on which I would be concerned to ensure we make progress. Overall, it is important this report was as precise as it was. Mr. Ward did a great job in terms of identifying the issues that need to be addressed and what needs to be done in that regard. I again thank Mr. Ward and the other members of the group for their work. I also thank the education partners for their contribution to implementation of the report's recommendations. The attitude in Ireland to teaching is largely positive. People very much prize it as a job. This is evident from the number of people who apply each year to become teachers. We need to ensure this continues.

Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The next Topical Issue matter is in the name of Deputy Dan Neville.

Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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As the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, is currently in discussions with the Ceann Comhairle, I would like discussion on this issue to be postponed until after the Easter break.

Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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That is fine. We will move on to the next Topical Issue matter in the name of Deputy Ellis.