Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 467: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the situation that currently applies to teachers of restricted recognition; the number who are currently in this situation; the procedure being adopted to regularise same; the number to be taken out of restricted category as a consequence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40528/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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There are 497 teachers with restricted recognition currently working in primary schools. My Department does not have information on the number of such teachers here who are not in employment in primary schools.

Restricted recognition gives eligibility to teach in certain categories of special schools and in categories of special classes in mainstream schools where Irish is not a curricular requirement. Teachers with such recognition are also entitled to take up positions in special schools for young offenders, youth encounter projects and special education projects. They may also take up positions as substitute teachers.

Restricted recognition is granted to teachers, who trained outside the State and who hold a recognised primary teacher qualification, and to teachers with certain approved Montessori qualifications i.e. the Montessori qualification which is awarded on completion of the three year full time course in the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) College, Dublin or teachers with the B.A. in humanities in Montessori Education from St. Nicholas Montessori College, Dún Laoghaire.

Restricted recognition is also granted to teachers with a recognised post-primary qualification to enable them to teach in a special school where a proportion of pupils attending the special school are of post-primary age and where second level programmes are being provided by the school.

Teachers with restricted recognition, working in posts that their recognition entitles them to hold, are entitled to the same conditions of service as fully recognised teachers.