Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 549: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the regularity with which restricted recognition was granted to resource teachers in the primary school system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37395/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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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. Such teachers are eligible for appointment to posts in certain categories of special schools, to posts in categories of special classes in mainstream schools where Irish is not a curricular requirement and to posts as full-time resource teachers for children with special educational needs (low incidence disabilities only) in mainstream schools. They may also take up positions in children detention schools, youth encounter projects and special education projects. In addition, they may also take up positions as substitute teachers.

Teachers with recognised post-primary qualifications may be granted restricted recognition 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.

According to the Department's records, the following was the position in relation to the numbers of teachers with restricted recognition employed in the primary sector at the end of the last school year: 186 teachers with recognised post-primary qualifications who were teaching in special schools 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; 290 teachers who have been trained outside the State; and 627 Montessori trained teachers.