John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. This is an important matter. It calls on the Minister for Education to introduce a voluntary national post-primary redeployment panel which would facilitate the transfer of teachers from one area of the country to another while retaining their permanent status under contracts of indefinite duration, CIDs. As someone who taught in an education and training board, ETB, school in Waterford city until my election to this House, I know this issue very well. I had colleagues who commuted very long distances to work. Some are happy to do so while others wish to be closer to home but cannot move because they would risk their job security. It is a fact that some teachers are commuting up to 200 km per day, probably more, which is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle. That is even before one considers the carbon emissions involved. I know the Minister of State will say that a teacher in one area can apply for employment in another in the normal fashion. However, that misses the point that doing so involves risk. In the best-case scenario, everything works out and the teacher is interviewed again after 12 months, which is another bugbear of mine that I will not pursue now. In that best-case scenario, everything works out and the teacher has a permanent contract, going forward. However, let us consider a worst-case scenario. A teacher leaves a permanent position in Waterford and takes a 12-month contract in Cork. After 12 months, the teacher re-interviews for the position and the job is given to someone else or the hours are reduced. That leaves the teacher in a vulnerable position. Perhaps the teacher has family and mortgage commitments. It is easy to see why teachers would not risk leaving a permanent position in one location to seek employment in another, even though it would be better for them and would allow them to be closer to their families, obligations and support networks.

A group of teachers operates under the name "fair post-primary redeployment for teachers". The group has been campaigning on this issue for some time. Its membership totals approximately 700 teachers nationwide, all of whom feel that this is a necessary change. I agree with them. There is a redeployment scheme in place on a yearly basis but only a small number of applicants are successful. One of the reasons is that one must apply in February for redeployment but schools in a particular area may not know they have a shortage until much later and closer to the next academic year. The number of teachers who are successfully redeployed is small. The group is seeking something I support, that is, the introduction of a voluntary scheme that would facilitate the transfer of a teacher from one location to another if there is a matching teacher in the other location. Perhaps a PE teacher in Waterford is looking to move closer to family in Wicklow and a PE teacher in Wicklow is looking to move to Waterford. How can that not be facilitated? It makes complete sense. Those teachers are unhappy in their workplaces. The schools have two unhappy teachers who want to be closer to home and their support networks. If you are unhappy in your working environment, you cannot give your all in the classroom, and that negatively affects students. It makes complete sense to facilitate such a transfer of teachers between locations. I suggest that a dialogue commences between the Department, the ETBs and the unions on this matter. It has been put on the long finger for far too long. It makes sense. I ask the Minister of State to relay that message to the Minister, Deputy Foley. Dialogue needs to commence as a matter of urgency.