Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 647: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will confirm that when a teacher is put on a panel in cases in which their school loses a teacher, that teacher can remain on the panel being fully paid without being allocated to another school for an indefinite period; the number of teachers currently in this position; the regions of the country in which this applies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39990/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The redeployment panel system agreed between the Patron Bodies of primary schools and the I.N.T.O. serves as a means for redeployment of permanent teachers in schools where posts are suppressed to schools with vacancies. Panels are determined by the patronage of the school and the final decision to admit a teacher to the panel rests with the Patron.

Once the panel system is in operation schools are obliged to offer any permanent vacancy to teachers on the panel. Teachers placed on the panel are obliged to accept the first offer of employment from schools within a 45 kilometre radius of their existing school. If a teacher has been on the panel for more than three years the 45 kilometre limit no longer applies.

A teacher on the redeployment panel awaiting an offer of a teaching post in another school remains employed in his/her existing school and must act as replacement teacher for absences of other teachers in the school.

There is currently one teacher on the Special National Panel which exists for special schools, special classes in primary schools and resource teacher posts in primary schools. This teacher has been on this panel for about one month.