Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 326: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of full-time and part-time positions that remain vacant in education due to the public sector recruitment embargo; if he will categorise these into the various sectors within education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43656/09]

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 327: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of full-time and part-time education positions that remain vacant in County Donegal due to the public sector recruitment embargo; if he will categorise these along the internal education sectors to which they apply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43658/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 326 and 327 together.

The recruitment, selection and appointment of teachers to all schools is a matter for each individual school authority as employer. While my Department operates a payroll service for teachers employed in schools it does not maintain records of vacancies within the schools. The purpose of the Government decision to implement a recruitment and promotion moratorium in the public sector is to facilitate a permanent, structural reduction in the numbers of staff serving and is intended to contribute significant and ongoing savings to the Exchequer. When the Government was introducing the moratorium in the public sector earlier this year I secured a special arrangement for education which ensured we could fill teacher and SNA posts. The concession also provides for the filling of Principal and Deputy Principal posts in all schools and the first allocation of posts of responsibility in new schools.

The Revised Programme for Government commits the Government to no further increase in the pupil teacher ratio in primary and second level schools for the lifetime of this Government. Under the revised programme we will provide 500 teaching posts between primary and second levels over the next three years. These posts will be allocated to the schools that are most seriously affected by the recent increase in the PTR, using objective criteria. A consultation process in relation to the allocation of these additional posts is currently underway between my officials and the education partners.