Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 116: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason she is unable to provide details of the number of school days taken by unqualified teachers; the steps she intends to take to ensure that such information is made available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19674/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's payroll can provide information on the number of days for which unqualified temporary and substitute teachers were employed.

In the 2003-04 school year, 139,570 substitution days were paid to unqualified teachers. In the same year, 165,087 days in respect of temporary teacher appointments were paid to unqualified teachers. However, I should point out that, as the teacher's payroll system is structured to pay temporary teachers in respect of a seven day week, this figure is somewhat inflated as it includes week-ends and school closures and does not specifically take account of school days. Due to the complexities involved in compiling this data and having regard to the staffing resources available to my Department, it is not intended to extract details of the number of school days worked by individual temporary unqualified teachers.

The Deputy may be interested to note however that my officials have recently written to the boards of management of all primary schools employing an unqualified teacher. The boards have been directed to employ fully qualified primary teachers for any vacancy arising in the coming school year.