Averil Power (Fianna Fail)

I move amendment No. 11:

In page 8, after line 49, to insert the following:

"(11) The Minister may from time to time prescribe the conditions attaching to the employment of an appropriately qualified and registered retired teacher, in circumstances where all reasonable efforts to secure an appropriately qualified registered teacher who is not retired fail.".

I outlined the rationale for this amendment on Committee Stage. Members from all parties expressed support for it. I am concerned about the growing evidence that schools are relying all too easily on retired teachers, people who are on pension, and giving them job opportunities before giving substitution work to young teachers who are unemployed and not only need the money but also the experience. Young teachers cannot get the substitution work to give them teaching experience at present and they cannot get a permanent job because they do not have the experience, not having built up the necessary hours of teaching experience. The Minister expressed support for the amendment and I was glad to hear last week that he would accept it. I hope that is still the case, but the Minister appeared to indicate otherwise before we adjourned.

This is a serious issue and if there is an area where restriction is needed in legislation, it is here because it presents a real problem. I hope we can maintain the consensus that we had last week.