Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach. The Minister of State is very welcome and I thank him for his attendance. I raise the teacher exchange scheme which is designed to facilitate primary school teachers to temporarily exchange their posts for educational purposes. The minimum period for which they can do this is one year and the maximum period is five years. I understand more than 230 teachers are currently taking part in the scheme which, by and large, works very well.

Teachers on exchange for up to five years develop ties with the area to which they have relocated. Some may find that their circumstances change and they may wish to remain in the exchange school. After a five-year period, some will have met a partner, settled down, had children and become embedded in the exchange school community. The schools, by extension, are also pleased to retain a teacher who has become an integral part of the school's staff and life. Unfortunately, the rules set out in the circular under which the scheme operates are rather rigid. I ask the Minister of State to examine the circular with a view to providing a degree of flexibility to those who wish to remain in the exchange school on a permanent basis after the five-year period has elapsed. Such a change would be cost neutral to the Department.

Some flexibility is required. I accept that all parties must be in agreement on any proposal to make the exchange post permanent. In other words, the exchange teachers, the respective schools and their boards of management would have to agree to it. If such agreement were reached and everyone was happy with the position, the five-year cap should be removed. As I indicated, the change I propose would be cost neutral and would proceed only where everybody was satisfied with the proposal. I ask the Minister of State to issue a circular to school boards of management advising that the five-year cap may be removed and those who wish to make the exchange permanent may do so.